Healthy living is high on the agendas of governments across Europe. We believe that Alliance Boots has a role to play in helping to address concerns over unhealthy diets and rising levels of obesity. We want to use our expertise to help our customers and their customers make positive changes and
live healthier lives.
Accessibility and convenience of healthcare service remain a top priority for ensuring people seek advice and support in a timely and affective way. Free public services such as Boots WebMD in the UK are providing simple-to-understand information and support to patients and compliment the presence Boots and Alphega pharmacies continue to have in some of the most challenging and deprived communities across the country.
Supporting people to live normal lives is essential in a modern health service and Alliance Boots is doing what it can to ensure a patient’s condition doesn’t impact unnecessarily on their quality of life. Through our homecare service or prescription delivery service we are minimising the disruption and cost of hospital care.
In June 2010, Alliance Healthcare Netherlands began distributing “Kikkeropfleurdoos” boxes, which include a combination of practical information and useful products for patients who have just received the news they are suffering from cancer. Over a thousand of the boxes, provided by the Netherlands-based cancer foundation Kikkeropfleurdoos, have been distributed via our Kring-apotheek pharmacy network.
Our pharmacies are able to provide customers with the advice and support needed to help them stop smoking. Where necessary, our pharmacists can identify the most suitable nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for our customers. In some of our pharmacies customers can have a Smokerlyser test to measure how much carbon monoxide they have in their breath and in our larger flagship stores customers are able to have a ’real lung age’ test.
As the numbers of people with diabetes increases, many sufferers are unaware that they have the condition. 14,000 customers tested their blood glucose at 168 Kring-apotheek pharmacies in November 2010 as part of National Diabetes Week. Over 900 patients needed to be referred to a general practitioner following their test.
Also as part of Diabetes Week, patients with diabetes were invited to visit their local Kring-apotheek pharmacy to have their blood glucose monitoring device checked and gain more information and advice on their diabetes. Of the 3,000 patients who had their blood glucose monitoring device checked 500 needed some further assistance in correct management of the device.
To support the Kring-pharmacists during the Diabetes Week, Alliance Healthcare Netherlands developed Kring branded diabetes starter kits in partnership with both Roche and Abbott. These contained blood glucose monitoring devices together with diabetes information and a sharps container.
The weight loss programme we offer is a pharmacist-led professional programme, designed to help our customers lose weight and feel better. The programme has been designed by experts and is based on a tried and tested approach to double a person's chance of achieving up to a 10% loss in body weight over 12 months, compared with trying to follow diet and exercise recommendations on their own. As well as taking the opportunity to purchase over-the-counter products, customers have sought our advice as a service in 120 of our stores.