Haleon HealthPartner (HCP)’s Post

As the customary setting for self-care, community pharmacy plays a vital role in enabling self-care globally. It is undeniable that COVID-19 has revolutionised pharmacy practice, as pharmacists were one of the few primary healthcare services to stay open during the pandemic, providing a vital and expanded service. With pharmacy at a critical juncture, GSK Consumer Healthcare is cementing its long-term for commitment to pharmacists through new and increased actions in support of the profession.   As proud allies and partners to pharmacists everywhere, GSK Consumer Healthcare has today launched a new report, Standing with Pharmacists in the Age of Self-Care, which discusses how the barriers that stand in the way of pharmacists’ full participation in self-care can be tackled and announces a three-year commitment plan by the company to empower the pharmacy profession with policy and regulation change, mental health provisions and additional practical resources.   The report presents the findings from a roundtable discussion hosted by GSK Consumer Healthcare earlier this year in partnership with International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which convened representatives and leaders from the global pharmacy and broader self-care communities to discuss how industry players can work together to ensure pharmacists’ full and effective utilisation within self-care globally.   Setting out the key barriers that the global pharmacy community faces alongside potential solutions to each, the report looks at barriers including workload, interprofessional teamwork and health literacy, suggesting potential solutions to tackling these such as securing policy support to free up resources that can be dedicated to self-care, the inclusion of pharmacists in primary care frameworks within national policymaking, and creating a pharmacist-staffed helpline for health consumers to improve health literacy.   As part of our long-term commitment to pharmacists and to help tackle these issues specifically, GSK Consumer Healthcare has unveiled a three-year commitment programme. To learn more, download the full report