Pharmacy-based stop smoking services guidance 

How the guidance supports PCTs

This guidance helps PCTs strengthen contractual arrangements so that pharmacy-based stop smoking services show clear partnership working with local NHS stop smoking services.

What the guidance covers

The guidance covers the following areas:

• current policy context and national targets
• opportunities for community pharmacy in delivering pharmacy services
• assessing local needs, mapping existing services and identifying what needs to change
• developing a vision for pharmacy-based stop smoking services and making it happen
• a useful checklist for commissioners - this is available in the guide and as a separate document
• good practice examples from trusts

Although specific to smoking services, the guidance provides a useful template for PCTs when commissioning other services from community pharmacy.

Guidance on identifying local service needs

We have also produced the following guidance to support trusts when identifying local needs for pharmacy-based services:

• Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments (PNA) as part of world class commissioning - positioning PNAs in the broader commissioning context and how they fit into a PCTs planning cycle
• Developing Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments, a practical guide - practical tools and guides for trusts, including templates, when developing PNAs