Community Pharmacy in Gloucestershire

In this report Healthwatch Gloucestershire shared local experiences of the counties community pharmacy service in December 2024. They wanted to understand how people access pharmacies and the impact of pharmacy closures. They also gathered feedback on experiences of issues between GP practices and pharmacies, and impacts of medication shortages, as well as awareness and perceptions of Pharmacy First.

The team engaged with 650 people through  visits to community and social groups across Gloucestershire. A survey (online and paper) gathered responses from 440 people. Visits to 13 pharmacies took place in January 2025 to gather staff views.

Key Findings

Pharmacy use and access

• 75% of survey respondents prefer to access their pharmacy in person.
• Cost of prescriptions is a concern, with some struggling to pay — especially younger people.
• Pre-Payment Certificates (PPCs) are underused by certain groups.

Medication shortages

• Medication availability strongly influences pharmacy choice.
• Shortages have caused physical and mental health impacts for some patients.
• Managing shortages can take pharmacies over 2 hours a day.
• Patients are often unaware a medication is missing until they collect their prescription, leading to frustration.

Pharmacy First

• Awareness of Pharmacy First is low, but feedback from those who have used it is positive.
• Pharmacists want to offer more clinical services but face challenges due to mixed messaging and infrastructure constraints.
• Short-term funding contracts hinder investment in premises.

GP /pharmacy coordination

• Lack of joined-up working between GPs and pharmacies negatively affects patient experience.
• Patients would benefit from having medications aligned on a single monthly cycle.
• The NHS App could be better used to provide prescription information.

There are five key recommendations in the report, inclusing:

• Ensure sustainable funding for pharmacies, including promoting the Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate (PPC) to reduce cost barriers, supporting recycling initiatives like blister pack recycling, and providing longer-term contracts to support investment in premises and services.
• Improve communication and coordination between pharmacies, GPs, and patients, especially around medication shortages, prescription changes, and aligning repeat prescriptions. Use tools like the NHS App more effectively to support this.
• Raise awareness and consistency of Pharmacy First through clear public messaging, staff training, and better collaboration between primary care and pharmacies.