The evaluation of the pathfinder work programme was released in April 2013 and provides significant detail on the experience of pathfinder areas as well as showing that the results seen in Portsmouth could be replicated in other areas with differing demography and geography. Furthermore, it shows that benefits have been realised by commissioners, contractors and employees. The evaluation demonstrates that the services within HLPs were universally well received by the public, with almost all users comfortable to receive services in the pharmacy setting; happy with how they were treated by the pharmacy staff, and feeling that the pharmacy staff gave them enough information. This was further reflected by the fact that 98 per cent would recommend the service they used to others.

Teams within the pathfinder HLPs engaged with people who would otherwise have done nothing and would not have sought healthy lifestyle support or advice €“ more than 20 per cent of the people surveyed said they would not have gone anywhere else for the service, demonstrating the impact of HLPs in helping people lead healthier lifestyles. The analysis also found that 60 per cent of individuals participating would otherwise have gone to their GPs, showing that there may be opportunities for community pharmacies to support GP practices in delivering health and wellbeing support, which could reduce the workload within GP practices (see figure 1).