Nearly 90% of patients report 'good' pharmacy experience, reveals NHS
For the first time, the GP patient survey has recorded patients’ attitudes to community pharmacy – with patients reporting a better experience of their pharmacy than their GP or dentist.
Over half a million English patients reported having a “good” experience of pharmacy services in the last 12 months, NHS England (NHSE) revealed yesterday (July 11).
This year’s independent GP patient survey, which is run by Ipsos on behalf of NHSE and sent to “over two million people registered with GP practices in England”, received nearly 700,000 responses between January 2 and March 25, NHSE said.
“For the first time, the survey asked patients about their experience of using NHS pharmacy services,” it added.
When asked how they would describe their experience of using pharmacy services over the last year, 87% (528,949) said it was “good” - with 50% saying it was “very good” and 37% saying it was “fairly good”.
Some 9% said their experience had been neither “good nor poor”, while only 3% said it was “fairly poor” and just 1% said it was “very poor”.
In comparison, 74% of patients reported a “good” experience at their GP practice and 69% said they had a “good” experience of NHS dental services.
Just 1% of visits for contraception service
The survey also asked patients which services they had used at a pharmacy over the last 12 months.
Only 1% of respondents said they had visited a pharmacy to “get contraception without a GP prescription”.
Some 3% went to a pharmacy to monitor or get support for a long-term health condition, while 5% went to get their blood pressure checked and 7% had been referred by their GP, NHS 111 or A&E.
But 76% of respondents said they had gone to pick up a prescription and 45% had bought medication at a pharmacy.
Meanwhile in May, a poll commissioned by non-profit government-backed smart meter organisation Smart Energy GB found that almost 60% of the public said that their “dream high street” must feature “a decent pharmacy”.
Pharmacy topped out a 25-strong list as the most valued business – more than any other shop or business.
