I am delighted to release Guest Blog 6 here at www.pharmascholar.co.uk.

This entry has been prepared by Mr Adrian Zacher who is the CEO of the British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services. Information about the organisation can be located by clicking on BSPSS.

The entry below is particularly relevant to the practice of modern day Pharmacy as operations are now becoming more and more patient focused with service delivery being central to operations.

‘During the pandemic, community pharmacy has been the frontline. Now, community pharmacy is once again being asked to rise to the challenge of the immense changes we’ve seen since the lockdowns and PPE storm began.

Most of us appreciate the importance of exercise and nutrition. But what about sleep?

Sleep issues have risen dramatically. The British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services (BSPSS) was established this year (2021) to bring sleep expertise to the High Street. The BSPSS is a not-for-profit unincorporated association. Membership is free and our aim is to help pharmacists help patients.

Sleep is a part of the triumvirate of health, according to one of the godfathers of sleep research William C Dement (deceased 2020). So, in this Olympic year, it is excellent news when sleep health forms part of the Olympic Committee mental health statement.

What can community pharmacists do?

We recognise the immense value of the community pharmacist as the frontline healthcare professional.

So, we created a simple 2 minute quiz to investigate the range of sleep problems encountered in community pharmacy, and the extent of pharmacist engagement with patients, with a suspected sleep disorder.

Our thought process is:

1. Investigate the sleep problems patients present with and pharmacists’ knowledge

2. Create a Standard of Care for community pharmacy

3. Develop the educational materials and tools to fill the void

4. Deliver them

As I write, we’ve had 100 responses and need more to improve the validity of our data.

You can help by visiting the BSPSS today ‘