Introduction
The contribution that pharmacists make to the public health agenda has been acknowledged by the Department of Health (DH) in a white paper and formalised in the new pharmaceutical services contract.1,2 In addition, the education and training of pharmacists in public health is actively encouraged by the DH and The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.1,3 At present, public health is not identified as a discrete discipline in the undergraduate pharmacy course at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). The aim of this study was to explore the opinions of pharmacy students towards the public health agenda, their involvement as future pharmacists and what they required in the form of education and training to deliver this agenda.

Method
Three focus group discussions, each comprising up to ten LJMU pharmacy undergraduates from all levels of the course, were conducted. Students were asked about their understanding of public health, their views on the involvement of pharmacy and themselves in the future and whether they considered pharmacists to be the best people to deliver the public health agenda. Finally, students were asked what education and training they required to undertake public health roles. Each focus group was tape-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.4

Findings
Pharmacy students from LJMU considered that public health involved screening, monitoring and educating people with regard to their health, with the ultimate aim being to prevent or reduce the incidence of illness. These points focused on the biomedical perspective of health and illness, in recognising and treating symptoms. They considered that pharmacy and themselves in future would play a greater role in the public health agenda. In addition, they saw a great opportunity, particularly as community pharmacists, to influence and educate people. However they felt that pharmacy would not engage all sectors of the public, other professionals (e.g. general practitioners, nurses, social workers, teachers and youth workers) would need to engage in delivering the public health agenda. For example, children and young people, were considered to be unlikely visitors to pharmacies by the pharmacy students, but to have problems involving alcohol and illicit drug consumption, smoking and sexual health. Finally, students indicated that a module in public health would be a welcome addition to the curriculum. However to obtain maximum benefit, the module should involve an equal split between theory and practice. Some input from professionals already involved in public health would help students to identify what these different professionals did and how they as pharmacists, could integrate more easily into the complexities of health and social care.

Discussion
Unsurprisingly, LJMU pharmacy students had a narrow view of the influences on public health, as no societal influences were mentioned. Whilst public health was considered an important part of their future role, they were aware of their limitations in engaging all sectors of the public. Students considered that ensuring a competent and effective delivery of the public health agenda would require a collaborative and integrated approach from other disciplines involved with public health, which should be reflected in teaching.