We changed public perceptions of community pharmacy

From dispensers of medicines to dispensers of health

Vision

Pharmacy Voice commissioned Salix & Co to develop a long-term strategy for community pharmacy to help unify a key but fragmented health care sector, grab public attention and engage policy makers.

Action

Qualitative research showed community pharmacy could play a significant role in supporting public health, while quantitative research showed community pharmacy was little understood by the general public. We launched Dispensing Health via the national media, supported by two tactical set pieces, Who Do You Think We Are and We Are Primary Care. We invited the BBC Health Editor to have his flu jab in a pharmacy and Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, to visit a local pharmacy for health advice.

The Dispensing Health campaign ran for three years, incorporating Dispensing Health in Later Life and Dispensing Health Equalities as we dug deeper into the wider and vital role community pharmacy plays in supporting community health.

Change

The campaign launch achieved more than 150 pieces of on message coverage in national print, broadcast, digital and specialist health media, including The Times lead health story, front page cartoon, letter to editor and leader, BBC prime news slots, ITV Daybreak and Sky. The ongoing campaign led to an uplift in public awareness of 18% over a 12 month period, and featured regularly in influential print and broadcast outlets, leading to a shift in government policy.

Dispensing Health was awarded Best Public Awareness Initiative in the high profile industry SMART Awards.