We are delighted to see that the revised Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) quality criteria are now available from Public Health England and an announcement has been made to signal the move to a profession-led self-accreditation process which will be underpinned by appropriate quality assurance.
These quality criteria are clustered around the three key enablers of the HLP concept – workforce development, engagement (with the team and community) and creating a health promoting environment. These criteria have been built on extensive experience over the past six years and informed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Professional Standards for Public Health Practice in pharmacy.
It has never been more important for pharmacies to demonstrate that they are willing and able to deliver health and wellbeing services, making the most of the significant community asset that they have and creating even more value than their current important medicines supply and self-care support function. And there are now over 2100 pharmacies who are HLPs or well on their way, and think it is worth the investment of time and energy.
The HLP concept has stood the test of time, survived two government changes, an NHS restructure with new commissioners and procurement requirements. It’s survived because it works – Health Champions, living and working in the communities they serve , make a big difference. Having a team that is engaged, motivated, developed and involved, delivers great results for all. What is there not to like?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.