Month: June 2025

Before all thoughts turn to summer holidays, the body representing community pharmacists, CPNI, has briefed politicians on the need for a whole service, whole community approach to tackling this winter’s health pressures.

Presenting to a cross-party group of MLAs at Stormont this week, Gerard Greene, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI) discussed how creatively exploring funding opportunities within health service budgets to enable community-based health services could be key in averting the health service crisis seen in previous winters.

He said, “Last winter our hospital Emergency Departments witnessed some of the worst scenes ever experienced here.  Community Pharmacy has been closely involved in the Department of Health’s winter preparedness planning over recent months, and we would like to acknowledge the Minister Nesbitt and officials for driving this forward. 

“We are pleased that the value and contribution of Community Pharmacy is being recognised as a pivotal part of the Minister’s “shift left” approach.  Winter is a test for the whole health service and our integration in winter planning will ensure pharmacies are ready to step up.

“Through Pharmacy First, the Department of Health has invested in services aimed at keeping people well in their communities, close to home – and as a key way of alleviating the pressure from other stretched parts of the health service.  Community pharmacies provide highly skilled, highly trained healthcare professionals who can advise and treat many common ailments.  Pharmacy First services such as advice and treatment when needed for sore throat, shingles and urinary tract infections mean that GP appointments are freed up.

“One of last year’s biggest additional health service pressures came from the pre-Christmas winter flu outbreak which snowballed across the generations over the festive period.  There is a highly effective tool to tackle such outbreaks in the form of vaccination, and community pharmacies will be heavily involved in the Covid and winter flu vaccination service from the autumn. We will be actively encouraging eligible members of the public to seek out the vaccinations in their local pharmacy, when they are available, and our pharmacists will also deliver the important vaccination programme in nursing and residential homes.  This too is aimed at keeping older people well where they live and out of hospital.

Community pharmacies are based at the heart of towns and villages, they should be the first point of contact into the health service and by offering expert advice, treatment and services they can help us all to stay well, ease some of the winter pressures and relieve pressure on GPs and emergency hospital services.”

The Living Well ‘Stay well this winter’ campaign ran throughout December 2024 and January 2025 and aimed to help the public prepare for the winter months by encouraging them to take actions to protect their health.

The patient stories captured in the evaluation, including the one below, show the positive impact community pharmacy teams have on the health and well-being of the local community.

“There is a local hostel near our pharmacy. We spoke with several residents about hand hygiene and staying well over winter. We encouraged those eligible for flu vaccines to get protected — later, some residents told us they had received their vaccines after our chat.”

Read more of the patient stories here.

A new campaign in community pharmacies is encouraging people to be more aware of how much alcohol they drink and the impact it could be having on their health.

The Public Health Agency’s (PHA) ‘Know your units’ campaign will run in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland throughout June and July 2025 as part of the Living Well service. It aims to increase awareness of the drinking guidelines and the health risks associated with drinking alcohol in excess of these guidelines.

Stephanie Hanlon, Joint Regional Lead for Drugs and Alcohol at the PHA said: “The most recent statistics from 2023 show the total number of alcohol-specific deaths registered that year was 341. That’s 65.5% higher than the number registered a decade ago so it’s of great importance that everyone takes a look at how drinking may be impacting their lives.

“Drinking too much can seriously affect your health. The risk of developing a range of health problems increases with the more you drink on a regular basis.

Some alcohol-related harms impact overwhelmingly on women. For example, we know that drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer in women. This is why it’s so important to be aware of how much alcohol you are drinking, it’s impact on your body, your mental wellbeing, and the steps you can take to reduce the amount you drink.

“Speak to your pharmacist or GP if you are concerned about your own or someone else’s drinking.”

The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have developed guidelines to help people understand the risks alcohol may pose to their health and make decisions about their consumption in light of those risks. The ‘Know your units’ campaign supports awareness raising and education on these guidelines.

To keep health risks from alcohol to a lower level, it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week, as recommended by the UK CMOs.

George Wright, Community Pharmacist from Clear Pharmacy, Bangor said: “Understanding your weekly alcohol units is key to keeping track of how much you’re drinking, so it is essential to get to know how many units are in your favourite drinks and take charge of your health. If you regularly drink the maximum of 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking over three or more days. If you want to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week.

“Community pharmacy is the ideal setting to help encourage people to look after their health. Pharmacy teams play a critical role in supporting, educating and raising awareness of the risks associated with drinking too much alcohol. Call in to your local pharmacy to find out how we can help.”

As part of the Living Well campaign, community pharmacies across Northern Ireland are offering a free information leaflet, ‘Focus On Alcohol’ and unit calculator wheel, to members of the public. A copy of the ‘Focus On Alcohol’ resource can be found at www.pha.site/FocusOnAlcohol

For more information and local services that offer help and support, visit www.drugsandalcoholni.info