Pharmacy Testing

In recent years community pharmacy has had an increasing role in public health provision. Pharmacies are uniquely placed to offer services from convenient, widely frequented locations with long opening hours and without the need for an appointment. They are also often regularly visited by people from higher risk groups who may not otherwise be engaged with other health services.
In 2010 we launched a programme for hepatitis C and hepatitis B (and in some areas HIV) testing in pharmacies, following on from a very successful pilot in 2009.
The pilot diagnosed 1 in 6 of the people tested with either hepatitis C or hepatitis B.
The Trust currently offers support to anyone who wishes to introduce pharmacy testing in their local area. This can be via training and provision of supporting materials for pharmacists to introduce this service locally. Funding for the tests will need to be identified locally.
For more information contact Stuart Smith at stuart.smith@hepctrust.org.uk or on 020 7089 6220.