Healthy Living Pharmacy programme a success, says RSPH report

Community-based “health champions”, including those in pharmacies, have a clear potential to improve public health, according to a report published this week by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

The report, ‘Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce’, highlights the success of the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) model — which employs a tiered framework for delivering high-quality services through community pharmacies.

The RSPH argues that introducing public health training for the “wider public health workforce” – including police officers, firefighters and housing officers – and making it a core aspect of their continuing professional development, could help address the financial burden of health inequalities, which it puts at nearly £60bn.

The RSPH is a multi-disciplinary membership organisation for professionals who share an interest in public health. It has more than 6,000 members.