CPE yesterday (December 9) launched a new set of Pharmacy First resources targeting children and parents in nurseries and schools and setting out how to utilise the service.
The resources were published to “support pharmacy owners, their teams and local pharmaceutical committees (LPCs) to engage with schools and nurseries” ahead of the “festive break”, CPE said.
Read more: NHSE relaunches Pharmacy First marketing campaign with ‘minor revisions’
“It may be an opportune time to highlight to parents and carers that Pharmacy First is available for their children and themselves,” it said.
“Ensuring staff, parents and carers are aware of Pharmacy First and the benefits of the service…may help to ensure children get well and get back to school as [quickly] as possible,” it added.
“Raise awareness”
A new Pharmacy First checklist encourages pharmacy owners to contact other local owners and LPCs to discuss “how [they] can work together to raise awareness within the local schools and nurseries”.
It also encourages pharmacies to send template emails and letters to local schools and nurseries to provide “initial information about the Pharmacy First service”.
They can also do this by providing promotional posters for display on school noticeboards and a CPE video for digital screens, it said.
Read more: ‘Pull your socks up!’ CPE slams new ‘one-off’ Pharmacy First media campaign
The template letters include a brief description of how Pharmacy First works and a list of the illnesses that can be treated through the service.
“This service enables children and adults to get quick access to healthcare advice as they can walk into a pharmacy and access the service,” CPE said.
Read more: NHSE campaign will ‘encourage public’ to use Pharmacy First from mid-February
It “takes away the potential delay of having to wait for a GP appointment…potentially positively impacting attendance rates”, it added.
CPE welcomed suggestions for “additional resources that would help [pharmacies] work with schools or nurseries”.
Read more: Third of public ‘still unaware’ of Pharmacy First service
Meanwhile, NHS England (NHSE) relaunched its national Pharmacy First marketing campaign last month, which included “minor revisions” to the original material published earlier this year.
Little detail was released at the time, but CPE said that revisions included “additional information on the age criteria for clinical pathways”.
