Pharmacy First

Healthwatch South Tyneside undertook research on Pharmacy First, aiming to hear particularly from seldom heard communities.  They surveyed the public, pharmacies and GP practices.

The survey responses from patients, pharmacies and GP practices would indicate that the introduction of the Pharmacy First service has been received positively. There was a reasonable recognition rate with two-thirds of patients surveyed saying they had heard of Pharmacy First, of whom 57% said they knew what the service was about. Patients have heard about Pharmacy First from various sources, with the most popular being through TV and at their local pharmacy. But awareness would improve if Pharmacy First was advertised more via the local media and social media and signposted by other health and social care services. 

82.7% of respondents who had used Pharmacy First rated the service as either ‘excellent’, ‘very good’ or ‘good’ and 71% said they found using Pharmacy First easier than using the GP. Many survey respondents we met in person at events said the service had been very helpful to quickly get effective care for their young children. 

The online and face-to-face service provision that many pharmacies provide was praised by patients.

Pharmacies are handling a wide range of conditions through the service, and the responses from service users demonstrate they are providing effective treatment across different age groups, from young children to older people. Pharmacy staff have also received praise from patients for taking their time to listen and explain things clearly. 

Some survey responses indicate gaps in communication between patients, pharmacies and GP practices, meaning that there is sometimes inconsistency in the care that patients receive. 

All pharmacies who responded to this survey said they had an internal consultation room available – a requirement of delivering the Pharmacy First service. Pharmacies would like to see increased promotion and scope in terms of the range of conditions included. 

The GP practices who took part in the survey were equally supportive of Pharmacy First but some believe there is not a consistent level of service across pharmacies in the borough. 

Across all three surveys, one common theme is that patients sometimes struggle to gain clarity on what is being offered to them by their pharmacy. Clearer communication is needed, led by the NHS nationally and regionally. More clarity on what pharmacies across South Tyneside can offer would help address the perception of some patients that their GP is the only person qualified to see them.

Where there is local demand, some pharmacies have recruited multilingual staff and have access to translation services. It was good to see pharmacies receiving positive feedback from patients in our survey. However, a more formal, ongoing feedback process at each pharmacy would help to better understand patients’ challenges. 

The age limits on treatment for some conditions covered under Pharmacy First have caused difficulty and frustration for some patients, as did treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) being restricted to women.