During mid-2021, the Community Pharmacy Covid Champion scheme was launched in South East London to address covid vaccine hesitancy due to multiple areas that had a high prevalence of COVID positive patients but low uptake of vaccination.
It was a collaborative effort of Local Pharmaceutical Committees and clinical commissioning group (CCG) to address known vaccine hesitancy, which was prevalent in core 20plus5 areas and within certain community groups.
Main drivers for the success of this scheme were the unique presence of community pharmacies within short distance of the local community whilst utilising the 'Making Every Contact Count' approach. This joint working enabled us to address vaccine concerns, hesitancy and improve vaccine uptake across South East London.
We were proud recipient of PrescQIPP awards 2022 for integration and joint working. Building on the outcomes from this service, established relationship between stakeholders and improved recognition of the role community pharmacy has as a pillar within the NHS, we shifted the emphasis onto health promotion of the vital 5, whilst retaining some element of addressing vaccine hesitancy.
SEL ICB and LPC, partnered with Kings Health Partners and created 'The Health and Wellbeing' service. This focused on CPs within core20plus5 areas of SEL ICB.The purpose of the SEL Vital 5 Check Programme is to develop, deliver, evaluate, and refine a new screening tool for the main drivers of health inequalities, known locally as the Vital 5 (high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, mental health, and alcohol).
The goal of the Vital 5 Check Programme is to detect Vital 5 risks in SEL residents, to enable them to be effectively managed, prioritising those in greatest need. The Vital 5 Check intervention aims to find individuals with elevated risk factors in one or more of the Vital 5 and ensure that management of these risks is initiated, including through referral to appropriate health and social care services. What is 'Health and Wellbeing' service? - It is a Vital 5 + 1 check based on Kings Health partners plus an immunisation status check (for adults and children they care for).- Utilising MECC approach
Open choice and open to discuss, driven by patient's perception of what's important to them - Promoting behavioural change - Brief to very brief interventions to engage, discuss, provide, encourage and support- Referral or signposting to local services including advanced community pharmacy services like smoking cessation/ABPM; CBT self-referrals; DAS; weight management services.
This service is providing an important access point for all residents and importantly for a local population who may otherwise ignore or hesitate to attend services for their health needs for multiple reasons.
The ICB MOT team worked collaboratively with LPC and SEL Community Pharmacy Alliance on creating the script and service tailored to be delivered in community pharmacies. The service user is the main decision maker of what they want to discuss and what help they need from this intervention. The resident receives an electronic overview of their results and next steps/actions they agreed to, alongside general information and signposting. Additionally, they may receive a printed copy with a brief overview to physically remind them of the changes they identified. Change doesn't always happen immediately.
