Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) website

Visit our website www.askyourpharmacist to watch our short film on community pharmacy as well as a series of mini-clips on popular medicine myths.

 

Promoting pharmacy to the public

A primary objective of the Ask Your Pharmacist campaign is to help to shift public perceptions of community pharmacy as a supplier of medicines to that of a source of expert advice alongside the supply of medicines and as a source of a wide range of healthcare services, both NHS and private. 

  • Ask Your Pharmacist 2012 - How you can get involved

    This year’s AYP Week will take place from 5th-12th November 2012. Planning is underway but there’s lots for you to get involved in:

    • Radio days: A great way of raising the public’s awareness of community pharmacy is to take over the airwaves! This year, we will hold radio days in June and November. NPA media training (free to members) will give you the basics for speaking on air, and the Press Office can also help you to prepare with briefing notes and Q&As. Once you’ve gained confidence by taking part in the radio day, you may also like to take part in our ‘calendar of topics’ programme, where you can use our briefing notes year round to take part in radio interviews or our press releases to gain coverage in local newspapers.
    • Print coverage: As well as our radio day, we aim to secure print coverage for our Ask Your Pharmacist campaign too. You can get involved by tailoring our template press releases and sending them to the editor of your local and regional newspaper.
    • Talking to your local community: We have PowerPoint presentations that you can use to give informative talks to local community groups such as schools, colleges and places of worship. Many NPA members have used our materials to present at Women’s Institute meetings.
    • MP visits: If you want to get to know your local MP, why not ask them to visit your pharmacy so they can find out about local services that are on offer in their constituency? We have press release templates that you can use to publicise the visit in your local newspaper.
    • Shopping centre exhibitions: We coordinate exhibitions at shopping centres and universities throughout the UK. If you’d like to help out at these events, get in touch!
    • We also have a number of display materials, for your pharmacy windows and counter.

     If you’d like to get involved in any of the activities above or require Ask Your Pharmacist resources, get in touch with the NPA’s Press Office by calling 01727 795901 or by emailing s.white@npa.co.uk

    • Details

      Evaluation of Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2011 (7-13th November)

       

      A survey carried out following the National Pharmacy Association’s Ask Your Pharmacist (AYP) week (7-13th November 2011) has found there to be a significant increase in public awareness of community pharmacy and the services offered.

       

      The survey of 1200 UK adults shows:

       

      • The level of awareness of consultation rooms; the mean average on the question “what proportion of UK pharmacies have consultation rooms?” is up from 35% to 47% - still a long way behind the true figure of 85% of pharmacies with consultation areas. 
      • The number of people knowing that NMS is an NHS service is up 10% to 29%
      • The number of people knowing that MUR is an NHS service is up 9% to 38%
      • The percentage agreeing that “my local pharmacy is more than just a place to pick up medicines and other healthcare related products” is up from 48% to 73%.
      • The number of people agreeing that ‘my local pharmacy is there to help me stay well, not just to treat me when I am sick’ is up 14% to 56%

       

      Activities held during AYP week included:

       

      • A parliamentary reception addressed by Pharmacy Minister Lord Howe and hosted by Kevin Barron MP, chairman of the All Party Pharmacy Group in Westminster.
      • Over 30 AYP events held at various locations throughout the UK including shopping centres, universities and a farmers market. LPCs, volunteer pharmacists, pre-reg students and support staff all got involved in the events.
      • A radio day which reached over 150 regional and national stations.
      • Press coverage in 50 newspapers and magazines
      • The launch of a new website, www.askyourpharmacist.co.uk which includes a short film on community pharmacy and video clips which answer questions like what happens in a consultation area, what services are available at a pharmacy and why do pharmacy staff ask so many questions?

       

      Stephen Fishwick, Head of External Relations at the National Pharmacy Association said:

       

      “We’d like to thank everyone who got involved and helped to make Ask Your Pharmacist week a great success. To maintain the level of awareness raised from the week, we need to keep the momentum going all year round. This involves pharmacists and pharmacy support staff engaging with their local media, giving talks at community groups and taking every opportunity to promote the benefits community pharmacy can bring to local communities.

       

      “I have been greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm of Local Pharmaceutical Committees to get involved this year and I hope this is a sign of things to come: the Ask Your Pharmacist campaign as a truly concerted effort, with many partners joining the NPA to deliver it, and making a positive impact that not only raises public awareness but also shapes public attitudes about the nature of modern community pharmacy and what it can offer them as the front desk of the NHS and public health.”

    Back to top

Human interest - can you help?

The media are always looking for human interest stories.  Perhaps you and your team have helped a patient give up smoking, lose weight, to understand why its so important to take their medicines or even given a life saving intervention.

Whatever the story, we would be delighted to hear from you. Contact Sarah White if you think you may have something of interest.

How you can get involved

To find out how you can get involved in the NPA's Ask Your Pharmacist campaign, contact Sarah White or download the NPA's Promoting your Pharmacy pack to find out what resources we have available to support you.