Tesco trains pharmacy staff to advise people on lowering their risk of serious conditions
Tesco has teamed up with British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK to deliver specialist training to Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy staff as it looks to help people make life-changing improvements to their health.
The training will help pharmacy teams provide more information and support as to how people can help lower their risk of serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes through small changes to their day-to-day routine.
The move follows a recent survey commissioned by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and Tesco which found that many people could be missing out on opportunities to access free advice via their local pharmacies.
The survey also discovered that just one in ten of UK adults have turned to their local pharmacy for advice and information. Of those who had visited a pharmacist for advice or checks, 43% said talking to a pharmacist had eased their concerns around wasting their GP’s time.
Paul Pilkington, head of pharmacy at Tesco said: “Our Tesco pharmacy colleagues can provide information, resources and support on ways to help reduce your risk of developing cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart and circulatory disease. They are available for a private and confidential chat in our pharmacy consultation room, something 15% of people said was a benefit of visiting a pharmacy for information and/or advice about a health-related concern.”
The survey results also show that only 2% of adults in Britain had visited their pharmacist for a blood pressure check in the last twelve months, despite an estimated 4.8 million people in the UK living with undiagnosed high blood pressure.
Pilkington added: “As part of our role in supporting community health, we are encouraging customers to shop for affordable, healthy and sustainable food. Now, we want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the resources and support available in Tesco pharmacies to help people live healthier. So, if you’re shopping at Tesco, go to the pharmacy counter and one of our pharmacy colleagues wearing a ‘Let’s Talk’ badge can help you.”
