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Support for professionals

Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes are a huge challenge in the UK, which is why prevention is so important. This was the message highlighted by Gul Root (pictured), lead public health pharmacist, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England (PHE), who explained to delegates at the 18th Self Care conference how PHE is responding to the challenge.

“Responding to the challenge requires coherent, system-wide action,” she explained. “People need to have opportunities and access to support, as well as tackling the environment in which they live so that it is easier to be active, eat healthily, drink sensibly and sleep well than it is to take a health risk.”

PHE’s focus is on supporting healthcare professionals to enable patients to self care through its “All Our Health” (AOH) approach. “AOH aims to realise the potential of making every contact count, address healthcare professionals’ concerns around having behaviour change conversations and their own personal health issues, including enabling and empowering pharmacy teams to become health champions,” said Ms Root.

Minor ailments were also high on Ms Root’s agenda. “The Urgent and Emergency Care Review identified community pharmacies as a key environment for supporting the public and patients seeking help in managing minor conditions,” she explained. “Work is underway to improve the NHS 111 directory of service information about pharmacy services, develop referral pathways from NHS 111 to community pharmacy to support self care for low acuity conditions and encourage the local commissioning of minor ailments services.”

Ms Root also championed PHE’s work in supporting people to make changes via the Change4Life and OneYou campaigns.

For more on the Self Care Conference, see A national focus and Spotlight on pharmacy.

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