Accessibility Audit of Hackney's Community Pharmacies

Healthwatch Hackney undertook an accessibility audit of local pharmacies as more people were using them as an alternative to GPs for minor ailments.  They looked at access to the premises, access within the premises, signage and access to the consultation room.  They carried out the visits to 48 pharmacies in April 2022.

Most of the pharmacies had a concrete ramp or a threshold plate leading to the entrance. However, 26 pharmacies were recommended to build or repair the concrete ramp outside the premises and two pharmacies were recommended to repair the pavement outside the premises. 4 pharmacies were recommended to repair the potholes in front of their entrance. 17 pharmacies were recommended to install an automated door with a push pad for complete access. 6 pharmacies were recommended to install an accessible bell or entry phone system outside the premises for patients unable to enter without assistance. 15 out of those pharmacies did not have an automated door either.

14 pharmacies were recommended to replace or remove their front mat because this was either not flush with the floor or was too worn or had a design with holes and this made the surface uneven or could cause an obstacle for someone with a walking stick.

39 pharmacies were recommended to install an induction/hearing loop to support patients with hearing loss and to ensure staff training once implemented. 9 pharmacies had an induction/ hearing loop available, however, the staff at two of these pharmacies were either unaware of its existence or did not know how to use the tool.

27 pharmacies were recommended to install a low counter to assist wheelchair users. Two of the pharmacies that had low counters had access to this blocked either with boxes or bin containers.

Although most pharmacies provided seating for their patient, often chairs were placed near the counter or the consultation room which could possibly create issues with confidentiality.

34 pharmacies were recommended to improve the signage within their pharmacies. 12 of them were specifically asked to improve the signage for their consultation because the sign was either too high, or hard to be seen because of the door background, or difficult to see the room because it was placed at the very end of the premises not visible from the entrance.

All pharmacies had a designated room to run private consultations. There were some very good rooms that were ready for use and had a range of items that would support good conversations with users of the pharmacy. However, space was a challenge for some pharmacies and the rooms were functional but too small to accommodate comfortable conversation, some of them were completely inaccessible and others were used as storage and office space. The staff of these pharmacies told us that if a private conversation was needed, this would need to take place outside of the pharmacy.

Pharmacist told us that they have been using their consultation room often for medication reviews, health checks , emergency contraception, smoking cessation conversations, COVID-19, travel and flu vaccinations and recently for CPCS. They have all seen a recent increase of the CPCS referrals. From the conversation Healthwatch had with the pharmacists it was clear that staff are proactive in using the rooms and telling people that the facility is there. The conversations also revealed patient satisfaction with being seen at the pharmacy “quicker” than waiting for a GP appointment.

The report contains responses from many of the pharmacies to the observations.