Experiences of Pharmacy First
Our Pharmacy First project wanted to explore the effectiveness and take up of Pharmacy First.
We wanted to hear what people’s experiences are of Pharmacy First, to identify any positive and negative experiences to inform the service and feed into the Needs Assessment of Pharmacies, as part of the local authority feedback.
We also wanted to hear what the Pharmacists thought of the service and how it worked for them.
What we found
- 43% of the people we spoke to knew about Pharmacy First
- 32 people had used Pharmacy First
- When people are made aware of the service, 60% said they would be likely or very likely to use it
- Nearly 80% people said that accessing their local pharmacy was easy or very easy
- For a small number of people there is a concern about the qualifications for people to treat them through Pharmacy First.
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71% said that the Pharmacist was able to treat their ailment
Now I know about pharmacy first, I shall use it for minor ailments
Ideas for change
- Increase marketing and communication of Pharmacy First for doctors and pharmacies
- Have a chair available in pharmacies, if there isn’t one already
- Raise awareness of how pharmacies can treat minor ailments efficiently and professionally
- Raise awareness around charging structures for people who are accessing Pharmacy First. If you are exempt, you should not pay for these.
- Raise awareness of referrals between pharmacies and GPs and that people can see their pharmacy again if the treatment is unsuccessful.
