Public health and pharmacy:A critical review

Community pharmacy in the UK is often described as the most accessible of all primary healthcare providers, situated on the 'high street' and requiring no appointment. But what does the new public health movement mean for pharmacy, and where is pharmacy in terms of the new public health agenda? In this paper, the authors provide a critical assessment of pharmacy's response to this agenda through a review of key pharmacy relevant policy documents. In particular, in the context of pharmacy's re-professionalization agenda, they assess the contribution of pharmacy to public health from a micro- and macro-level framework. The aim is to provide a critical context in light of current proposals for the profession to develop a public health strategy.

The public health role of community pharmacies

This article describes the experience of developing an enhanced public health role for a community pharmacy in the Castle Vale estate in Birmingham. It shows that the neighbourhood-based regeneration context of Castle Vale has created a stimulating setting for an ambitious and innovative pharmacy company to demonstrate what might be possible on a much wider scale in the UK. A core ethos of the Castle Vale regeneration initiative has been public-private partnership and this project reveals some 'critical success factors' for on-the-ground achievement.