Sussex

Community pharmacy is an integral part of the NHS and has a vital role to play as a full partner within a neighbourhood and integrated community team (ICT). Medicines’ safety and optimisation is widely recognised as part of its unique skill set, but increasingly community pharmacy is collaborating with partners in primary care to deliver integrated clinical services to the population. At a time when all organisations are looking to fulfil an enhanced role within integrated care systems (ICS) and resources are stretched to a maximum, it is critical that all available clinical capacity is used effectively on the ground and that we have a local voice within the INTs.

Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) are made up of professionals working together as a ‘team of teams’ across primary care, community, mental health, local authority partners, voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations and other local partners. The INT footprint spans across several PCN geographies.

There are 13 INT footprints across Sussex. These will serve as the core geographies for planning and delivering services in partnership focussed on local communities and neighbourhoods. INTs are seen as the building block for how Sussex embeds plans and continues to transform local health and care system, shaping and delivering services differently both with, and in, our communities in the future.

The split of the INT areas can be seen in the diagram below.

Each INT in Sussex has been appointed a Community Pharmacy representative referred to as the Community Pharmacy Neighbourhood Lead. Please see below a list of the INT leads in Sussex.

The Community Pharmacy Neighbourhood Lead has an important role in shaping engagement between pharmacies and other healthcare professionals in the ICT and will:

• Provide a local voice for community pharmacy at ICT and Neighbourhood meetings.
• Work with the GP Neighbourhood Lead for your locality.
• Share information with the PCN leads within your ICT footprint to share with community pharmacies.
• Engage with stakeholders at meetings and promote community pharmacy services whilst building collaborative working relationships with relevant members.
• Identify opportunities for pharmacies in the ICT area and assist the LPC with the development of community pharmacy service proposals to meet local population health needs.
• Become a champion of community pharmacy within the ICT, helping to ensure community pharmacy plays a significant role in delivering healthcare services within the community.
• Identify key priorities and capacity constraints in the ICT area by getting together with your local PCN leads and pharmacy colleagues in the area and discussing how your skills, and the services pharmacy could provide, would support the ICT to address their health inequalities.

If you would like to contact your contact your community pharmacy INT lead please email lpc@communitypharmacyss.co.uk