My Experience of Screening for CVD in Community Pharmacy

1
My Experience of Screening for CVD in Community
Pharmacy

• Alistair Murray
• Community Pharmacist
• Green Light Pharmacy, Euston

2
Background

• Green Light Pharmacy founded in 1999
• First branch Drummond St, Euston
• Healthcare-only model
• Focus on public health

3
The Local Picture

• Life expectancy in West Euston area is 10 years
  below that of Hampstead - 3 miles up the road
• Regents Park ward among most deprived 20 of
  wards in the country

4
Focusing on the Local Bangladeshi Population

• 40 of population of Bangladeshi origin
• Diabetes more prevalent
• 44 of Bangladeshi men locally are smokers
• Fried foods play a major part in the diet

5
What Can A Pharmacy Do?

• Understand local health beliefs
• Opportunistic public health messages
• Speak to people BEFORE they become ill

6
Starting A Screening Service

• Formed the West Euston Healthy Community Project
• Local community groups and statutory bodies as
  partners, including local GP practice
• Applied for funding from the Big Lottery Fund for
  five years - about 600K
• Budget to screen 200 people each quarter

7
Where do we screen?

• Opportunistically in the pharmacy
• Community fairs
• Health bus parked on high streets
• Bingo!

8
Screening Questions

• Family history
• Diet
• Exercise
• Smoking status
• Alcohol consumption
• Recent blood pressure blood glucose
• Weight/BMI/Waist circumference
• Recent cholesterol check

9
Everybody stand up please!
10
Screening Questions

• Family history
• Diet
• Exercise
• Smoking status
• Alcohol consumption
• Recent blood pressure blood glucose
• Weight/BMI/Waist circumference
• Recent cholesterol check

11
Screening Outcomes

• Reinforce good behaviour
• Watchful waiting
• Tailor health advice
• Invite for follow-up
• Refer if necessary

12
Referral

• Stop smoking service
• Public Health Assistant
• Exercise on prescription
• Wonderful Walks for Women (Mens walk also
  available!)
• Patient education classes (Sylheti- and
  English-speaking)
• Badminton club
• Tai chi

13
Clinical Governance

• Keep good notes
• Get informed consent
• Explain the significance and/or limitations of
  any readings taken
• Good communication with other healthcare
  professionals

14
What can you do?

• Speak to local pharmacies and the Local
  Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC)
• Watch for developments in the national pharmacy
  contract - screening is likely to feature in new
  services
• Target pharmacies in priority areas and who have
  good links with particular target communities
• Make sure that any services feed into existing
  networks