From Portsmouth to the pathfinder work programme
An interim report detailing the impact of the HLP concept in Portsmouth, released in September 2010, indicated positive results. Following a visit to Portsmouth, Lord Howe, parliamentary under-secretary of state for quality and minister for pharmacy, asked whether these promising results could be replicated in areas of different demography and geography. With this support, a pathfinder work programme was established to roll out HLPs in other geographical areas to strengthen the evidence base for the concept and to determine whether Portsmouth's positive results could be replicated while scaling up delivery.
Benefits for pharmacy teams
Aside from the potential gains to the health of the local population, there are a number of additional benefits for pharmacy teams that have been shown in Portsmouth and the HLP pathfinder evaluation, including:
- The opportunity to provide a wider range of health and wellbeing services
- A sense of duty to the pharmacy profession and to the public
- Individual satisfaction when helping others
- Personal development for all team members
- Improved footfall into the pharmacy
- Increased revenue from service delivery.