Essex County Council – Healthy Living Pharmacy Level 2/3
We have opportunities within Essex, together with 3yr funding, to develop the services and would like to invite some pharmacy to participate.
Participating pharmacies had to commit to one member of the team undertaking the Royal Society for Public Health Understanding Health Improvement level 2 award and acting as Healthy Living Champion for the pharmacy, the development of a Health Information Zone within the premises, participating in an outreach or community health campaign, and demonstrating consistent delivery of at least one locally commissioned public health service. Underpinning this was the requirement for a senior member of the pharmacy to undertake leadership training to support and accommodate the changes required.
Meeting the Healthy Living Pharmacy level 1 framework was incentivised as part of the Quality Payment Scheme (now Pharmacy Quality Scheme) in 2017 and became an essential service under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in 2020/2021.
Separately some local authorities developed and commissioned “Level 2” Healthy Living Pharmacy frameworks through non-recurrent funding, however a recent search suggests many of these commissions have not continued following the pandemic. Additionally the NHS Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) includes as essential or advanced services many of the activities that were suggested as HLP L2/3 criteria when the HLP model was first published.
The case for Healthy Living Pharmacy in Essex
Pharmacy services to support healthy living are commissioned from Integrated Care Boards through the national Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, directly from NHS England, as contracts (directly or indirectly) with Essex County Council and it’s lead providers, and privately/self funded for services or patients who fall outside publicly-funded service criteria (eg travel vaccines, seasonal ‘flu vaccination for healthy under-65s etc).
Often units of activity fall into several different service specifications but these are siloed, and do not offer a holistic or patient-centred service. By utilising a Healthy Living Pharmacy approach and commissioning a framework to accommodate this patients’ individual needs can be met in one place regardless of service/activity commissioner, and transfer between service can be seamless.
Southend Sexual Health Service
Participating Community Pharmacies are expected to provide open access services for their service population, defined as people registered or resident in Southend on Sea.
There will be a natural catchment area surrounding Community Pharmacies and the commissioner is keen that Community Pharmacy Sexual Health Service delivery is as local as possible to ensure maximum accessibility.
However, it is recognised that the anonymity of a Community Pharmacy further from home may also be an attractive prospect for the spectrum of sexual health services covered in this contract.
The Community Pharmacy Sexual Health Service is available to any person who attends the Community Pharmacy and meets the following eligibility criteria:
- Emergency Hormonal Contraception Supply: Any female aged over 13 and under 25 years of age who confirms that they have had unprotected sexual intercourse within the last 120 hours and requires emergency hormonal contraception.
- Southend on Sea C-Card Condom Distribution Scheme Supply: Any Southend resident aged over 13.