The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) today (November 4) revealed the results of a new survey investigating the public’s understanding of minor ailments and use of community pharmacies to treat them.
Commissioned by the NPA and carried out by Research without Barriers between October 21 and 24, the poll of 2,052 UK adults revealed that some 36% of people “were unaware of the Pharmacy First service”, with a fifth (20%) believing common conditions “could only be treated through their GP”.
Read more: Pharmacies losing £115m a year over ‘informal’ GP referrals
Since January, pharmacies in England have been able to provide treatments for seven common ailments through the service, including ear infections, impetigo, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat, infected insect bites and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).
But pharmacy leaders have repeatedly raised concerns that public awareness campaigns around the service have been ineffective and that GPs are not engaging with the service.
Mythbusting minor ailments
The survey also found that:
- Almost a quarter (22%) of patients “wrongly believed all sore throats can be treated by antibiotics”
- Four in ten (40%) “falsely believe that the flu vaccine can cause the flu”, with 13% saying it “definitely” caused it and 27% saying it “sometimes could”
- A third (32%) “wrongly think all UTIs will clear up on their own”, while “most” women need medicine to treat the problem and untreated UTIs affecting the kidneys could lead to sepsis
- Some 11% believe athletes foot can be treated by antibiotics
And the NPA revealed that 55% of workers “missed at least one day of work last year due to coughs, colds and other minor ailments” - with 31% off for 1-6 days, 15% for a week, 12% for two weeks and 3% for three weeks.
Read more: Pharmacy First negotiations ‘were just horrendous’, says CPE
The membership body urged more people to visit their local pharmacy for the treatment of common conditions, saying this will “help to avoid unnecessary days off from work, save the NHS money and improve patient care”.
“It is concerning that a large number of people have to miss work for illnesses that could be promptly treated and prevented by their local pharmacist as well as not being aware of the wide range of services offered in their pharmacies,” NPA board member and pharmacist Sukhi Basra said.
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The survey was carried out as part of the NPA and NHS England’s (NHSE) joint “Ask Your Pharmacist Week” annual campaign, which “aims to tackle common myths around minor ailments as well as encourage more people to get medical treatment from their local pharmacy”.
This year’s public awareness campaign launched today and will run until November 11, with a theme of “professional and convenient healthcare, from your local pharmacy team”.
Read more: ‘Pull your socks up!’ CPE slams new ‘one-off’ Pharmacy First media campaign
It comes as a new audit by the pharmacy negotiator last week revealed that the pharmacy network has lost more than £115-million-worth of potential Pharmacy First funding this year due to “informal referrals” by GPs and NHS 111.
In August, the negotiator said that NHSE would roll out another Pharmacy First media campaign “later this year” but stressed it must “do more”- after its February Pharmacy First media campaign was met with criticism earlier this year.
