New NICE guidelines have highlighted ways in which community pharmacies could help increase uptake of vitamin D supplements.

Recommendations include:

• The Department of Health should amend existing legislation to allow Healthy Start vitamins to be more widely distributed and sold, and encourage manufacturers to sell them direct to pharmacies
• Local authorities should ensure supplements containing the recommended amount of vitamin D are widely available for all at-risk groups in local settings such as pharmacies, children’s centres and GP reception areas
• Local authorities should consider providing free supplements for at-risk groups and encourage pharmacies and other outlets selling food supplementss to stock the lowest cost vitamin D supplements and promote them to at-risk groups
• National activities should be developed to raise awareness of the importance of vitamin D among doctors, nurses, other professionals and the public.

Pharmacy opportunity

Welcoming the guidance, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice Rob Darracott said: “Community pharmacies are highly accessible to the public, and with 1.6 million visits every day to pharmacies there are numerous opportunities to highlight the importance of vitamin D for good health, especially to at-risk groups.

“Uptake of Healthy Start supplements among pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children is reported to be less than 10 per cent and as these groups are regular visitors to community pharmacies we know greater promotion and availability of vitamin D supplements in pharmacy could help improve the health of new mothers and children.”

The guidance is available at www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56. For an example of a successful pharmacy-based free vitamin scheme, see ICP December 2014, p13.