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Community pharmacy should provide health checks for all working-age adults in order to reverse Britain's rise in long-term disease, according to a new report from think tank ResPublica, commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).

In the report €“ Heartbeats on the High Street: how Community Pharmacy can transform Britain's Health, Wealth and Wellbeing €“ ResPublica argues that with unprecedented strain on the NHS through rising long-term conditions and a growing population, community pharmacy is a transformative solution for the health and wellbeing of the country and should take a leading role in preventing and managing long-term conditions by extending NHS health checks to the whole adult population.

Commenting on the report, Ian Strachan, NPA chairman, said: €This report sets out a positive, patient-focused and sustainable future for pharmacy, that can not only improve public health, but also save money and precious resources when they are becoming increasingly scarce.  

€Community pharmacies have transformational potential in primary care and public health and are an ideal setting for universal NHS health checks, but this should only be the start.€

Mr Strachan continued by explaining the need for pharmacies to be empowered to provide €wrap-around care before, during and after a health check, actively managing risk and prescribing medicines where appropriate, to reduce pressure on the wider health system.€

The NPA €will be working hard to refine these ideas and to encourage the government to unlock the potential of community pharmacy and deliver on its clinical promise,€ he added.