Community Pharmacy in Gloucestershire
As the number of services that pharmacies can offer has increased, so has the amount of feedback we've received about them. While many people shared positive experiences, others had concerns, such as shortages of medication and delays in receiving their full prescription.
Other issues raised by the more than 600 people we heard from included pharmacy closures or changes to opening hours, difficulties requesting and receiving repeat prescriptions, and the impact of the cost of living crisis.
We also wanted to gather feedback on Pharmacy First, to find out how many people were aware of the service and how many have used it.
Download our full report below.
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Report: Community Pharmacy in Gloucestershire
ADHD meds are vital for my son so we have rationed to school days only to make them last longer.
Key messages
- Overall people value their community pharmacy and the services they offer, and in turn, the Pharmacists and their teams appreciate the important service they provide in the community.
- Although medication shortages are a challenge for all pharmacies, it appears to be affecting some more than others, with some pharmacies spending over 2 hours a day trying to manage it.
- Most people are not aware of Pharmacy First, but for those that have used it, overall feedback is positive.
- GP’s and pharmacies do not always work in a joined-up way which can impact on customer experience.
Recommendations
- Pharmacies need to be funded properly to maintain their important and valued role in the community and to ensure it is seen as a sustainable and rewarding opportunity to the future workforce.
- There is some learning to be taken from the processes used by pharmacies who report being able to manage medication supplies better than others, which would be beneficial to everyone.
- Develop clear and consistent messaging to raise awareness of Pharmacy First with both professionals and the public.
- Communication should be improved between the GP, pharmacy and the patient to ensure a personalised approach to get the best outcome for the patient e.g. enabling prescriptions to be aligned to the same monthly cycle.
Thank you to Healthwatch Gloucestershire for undertaking this important engagement project designed to find out about local people’s experiences of community pharmacy services.
