Community Pharmacies promote alcohol awareness

Community pharmacies are being mobilized to promote
alcohol awareness as part of the `Know Your Limits’ campaign. Dr Keith Ridge, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, has written to pharmacists urging them to participate and a special campaign pack has been distributed to help them.

Community pharmacies and staff are regarded as key to ensuring that the national campaign messages are communicated to the general public. In England, most people’s first – and sometimes only – contact with a pharmacist is through their local community pharmacy. Approximately 1.6m people walk into pharmacies everyday and 1.2m walk in for health-related reasons. In the past six months three-quarters of people have visited a community pharmacy.

Community pharmacists are, therefore, particularly well placed to deliver health messages to the public. The activity pack is designed to support pharmacists and their staff in promoting awareness of the alcohol units messages. The pack gives ideas and guidance on how the awkward subject of alcohol can be approached with customers and on how pharmacies can work with the local media and health professionals to promote the message.