Some 1,060 UK community pharmacies have signed up to palliative care standards, C+D can reveal.
The Daffodil Standards for community pharmacy were launched in April 2023 to help pharmacy teams be “consistent and confident” in “person-centred end of life care” for those living with terminal illnesses and their families and carers.
They have been developed by end-of-life charity Marie Curie in partnership with the Royal College of Pharmacy.
Read more: End-of-life standards initiative launched in Northern Ireland
The charity said the standards “align closely” with the neighbourhood model of care to “shift care closer to home”.
The Daffodil Standards only launched in Northern Ireland in March 2025, but the charity told C+D that 127 community pharmacies in Northern Ireland have signed up to them so far.
It follows Boots signing up 55 of its pharmacies in Northern Ireland to the standards, along with six others in the rest of the UK.
Made a difference
The charity is encouraging more Northern Irish community pharmacies to sign up and “contribute to delivering compassionate, high-quality end-of-life care as part of the neighbourhood model”.
“Signing up to the Daffodil Standards is free of charge and registered pharmacies receive a range of learning resources that can be adapted to suit their needs and the needs of their patients,” said Marie Curie NI pharmacist Chris Black.
Marie Curie said pharmacies have reported a move towards more “proactive, structured care” of patients rather than “reactive care”, and it’s helped increased confidence in “supporting medication management and families”.
Read more: RPS seeks views on pharmacy standards for end-of-life care
The charity added that the Daffodil Standards help pharmacies to signpost and send referrals into local neighbourhood services, while fostering a “welcoming pharmacy environment” and having “more effective, compassionate conversations with patients, carers and families”.
Pharmacist Ellen Gault of Daly’s Pharmacy in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, said her pharmacy has made “a real difference” since using the standards as “we know our patients and their families, so we know their struggles and how we can help”.
“By signing up you’ll get additional information and support to help build the confidence of your team in providing palliative and end of life care,” she said.
Read more: RPS links with charity to draw up end-of-life care standards for pharmacy teams
Last month, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison said “community pharmacy is on a knife edge” after a report on the economic viability of pharmacies being part of the new neighbourhood health service revealed “extraordinary pressures” the sector is under.
In March, the first 27 neighbourhood health centres were rolled out by the Department of Health and Social Care (DH), who said they will be “open by 2027”.
