       Help 2 Health Leaflet Display assist Pharmacies - May 08HAVING leaflets available for his customers to peruse has helped Rakesh Patel as he sets up his hi-tech healthcare pharmacy from scratch. His is the first pharmacy in the country to have a duo of robots helping to dispense – and the idea is that they will eventually leave him free to have more of a front of house role at his business in Kettering . “To be honest the leaflet display has been an absolute godsend. We have set up the pharmacy from scratch and we are more of a dispensing chemist rather than having lots of merchandise. When people are waiting for their prescriptions, they pick up the leaflets and it is a great source of information for them,” he said. While he waits to install TVs giving more information and other leaflets from his local primary care trust, the Help2Health leaflet display has formed a real focal point for his shop. “If I have customers who are newly diagnosed as diabetic or they are suffering from epilepsy . I point them in the direction of the leaflet stand so they can get more information about their condition,” said Mr. Patel. "Drawing from the success
of our waiting room information leaflets we knew there was a market for pharmacy leaflet distribution." - Sarah O'Reilly A recent Government white paper puts more of an emphasis on the increased role pharmacies can play in healthcare of patients. Rather than just being a place to pick up prescriptions, pharmacists are being encouraged to dispense advice – and that's where the Help 2 Health leaflet stands come into their own. “It's just the right size and I don't have to worry about re-stocking it as all that is handled by H2H. It's a great service and I don't know what I would have done without it,” he said. H2H fulfils three key elements of the pharmacy contract. It is:
With more than 600 pharmacies already signed up, the response to the UK wide Help2Health initiative has beaten all expectations. Help2Health manager Sarah O'Reilly explained she was delighted with the positive feedback she was receiving and the record number of pharmacies wanting to sign up. “Drawing on the success of our leaflet displays in GP surgery waiting rooms, we knew there was a market out there but little had prepared us for the response we have had. Every day we get more pharmacies contacting us wanting to sign up for one of our leaflet stands and as more get to hear about the service, they too are signing up,” she said. “We are very pleased to be a part of the Help2Health initiative and delighted to have the opportunity to support pharmacists in providing accurate information to patients and members of the public," says Emma Mowat, Head of Service Delivery at Bowel Cancer UK . “With the information outlined in our leaflet, designed specifically for this campaign, we are able to encourage those with concerns to seek advice and act early on symptoms. Pharmacies are a very valuable point of contact for us in disseminating information to those who may be concerned about symptoms and embarrassed to go to the GP. We hope that the initiative goes from strength to strength.” |