Community pharmacy at the heart of neighbourhood health and wellbeing
Neighbourhood-based care is not new to community pharmacy. Pharmacy teams have long provided accessible, trusted and person- centred care across Northern Ireland through medicines supply, clinical services and expert advice that helps people manage their health closer to home.
The Neighbourhood Model aligns closely with the Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan 2030, which envisages a greater clinical role for community pharmacy in supporting population health, managing demand and improving access to care.
Our ongoing work on workforce development, digital transformation, service expansion and legislative reform will further strengthen pharmacy’s contribution to neighbourhood priorities.
Importantly, community pharmacy has a seat at the table as a core member of every INT. This creates an unprecedented opportunity for local pharmacy teams to work alongside GPs, Trust services, social care, local government and the voluntary sector to shape services around local needs.
Active participation in INTs will strengthen relationships, raise awareness of community pharmacy’s contribution, support the development of integrated referral pathways and ensure that pharmacy expertise informs local priorities and solution design.
Opportunities for local community pharmacy teams
Community pharmacy is already well placed to support the early priorities of neighbourhood working, particularly for older people. Pharmacy First services, vaccination programmes, medicines optimisation in care homes, support with medicines adherence and access to palliative care medicines all help people keep well and independent within their communities. Established community development approaches including the Building Community Pharmacy Partnership (BCPP) programme will also support neighbourhood working.
New opportunities are emerging. This year, community pharmacies in Antrim, Ballymena, Craigavon and Portadown will begin to participate in a new neighbourhood Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme (OPIP) funded by Innovate UK, testing novel community-based obesity care pathways. A new neighbourhood proactive care pathway for older people and end of life, funded by Macmillan and developed with community pharmacy input, is also planned.
As neighbourhood working matures, community pharmacy teams will play a growing role in redesigned clinical pathways and the transfer of services from hospital to community settings. Developments such as ePharmacy and independent prescribing will enable pharmacies to deliver increasingly complex clinical services and significantly contribute to the prevention, detection and management of long-term conditions.
Importantly, community pharmacy has a seat at the table as a core member of every INT...
Prevention is central to the Neighbourhood Model, creating opportunities to build on successful services such as Living Well, smoking cessation and vaccination, while supporting future developments in new areas including weight management, hypertension detection and cardiovascular health.
Looking ahead
The Neighbourhood Model represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for community pharmacy. By working as equal partners within INTs and continuing to build capability through workforce, digital and service development, including prescribing, pharmacy teams can play a pivotal role in creating a more integrated, preventative and community-focused health service.
The foundations are now in place. The challenge and opportunity is to ensure community pharmacy is fully engaged in shaping and delivering neighbourhood care for the benefit of patients, communities and the wider HSC system.
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