Pharmacy First
Download (PDF 1.23 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Southend regularly hears from people struggling to make appointments with their GP. They decided to look at local people’s awareness of Pharmacy First, given that it was established to relieve some of the pressure on general practitioners We also wanted to capture the experiences of those who had used it. They also asked whether those who had not used it would consider it in future.
They heard from 121 people during September to October 2024, using a mix of online and paper surveys.
Key findings
Just over half of the people who responded had heard of Pharmacy First, most of them seeing information in community pharmacies or through word of mouth
Only about 40% of respondents had used Pharmacy First. Their experiences were positive and would be happy to recommend the service to others
When asked which of the 7 conditions people would be happy to use Pharmacy First for, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections received less support.
Overall, any concerns related to a pharmacist missing something more serious or still having to make an appointment with a GP after seeing a pharmacist
Healthwatch recommended improvements to the way in which local people are made aware of Pharmacy First, building on the feedback they received.