The government has vowed to "look beyond general practice" and use community pharmacy to reduce unnecessary deaths, in a policy document published on Monday (April 28).

Community pharmacies were ideally placed to increase access to primary care, especially in deprived areas, the Department of Health (DH) said in its Living Well for Longer document.

More than 100,000 deaths of people under the age of 75 in England could be avoided every year through public health interventions, earlier diagnosis and better access to healthcare, the DH said.

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	Preventing these deaths was the "responsibility of all parts of the primary care community" and would be considered as part of NHS England's strategy for pharmacy, due to be published later this year, the DH said.

Poorer health outcomes were associated with locations with fewer GPs and commissioners should make use of pharmacists to broaden access to primary care in these areas, it said.

"Ninety nine percent of the population can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes by car and 96 per cent by walking or public transport. The position has improved substantially for those living in the 10 per cent most deprived areas, suggesting there is good access to community pharmacies," the DH said.

The document focused on the "five big killers" of cancer, strokes, heart disease, lung disease and liver disease, and gave examples of good practice to inspire local commissioners.

Healthy living pharmacies were "excellent examples" of how to ensure that every interaction with a patient made a difference and reduced health inequalities in the community, the DH said.

Pharmacies should also play a "key role" in improving symptom awareness, the DH said. It used the example of the Be clear on cancer campaign in February, which had produced fact sheets for pharmacists to better recognise cancer symptoms and encourage patients to visit their GP early.

Last year, the government called on pharmacists to play a key role in the battle against premature deaths in an effort to save the lives of 30,000 people in England by 2020.

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