This report analyses the experiences of over 250 people who have used NHS Community Pharmacy services in Solihull.
In January 2024, Pharmacy First was launched, enabling NHS community pharmacists to
provide treatment for seven conditions. NHS England (NHSE) aims to increase the number of
patients accessing Pharmacy First each month by hundreds of thousands by March 2025.
Our report explores the barriers and facilitators for Solihull patients’ use of the range of
services now offered by many community pharmacists.
We heard patients’ feedback via a survey conducted between January and February 2024,
which was completed by 263 people in Solihull and 466 people in Birmingham. This report
shares the experiences of Solihull residents. We also ran a poll on social media asking, “How
would you feel if a GP receptionist referred you to a pharmacy instead of giving you an
appointment with the GP for a minor illness?” We received 3545 responses; 304 comments on
our social media posts have been analysed as feedback.
We found that, many people are positive about community pharmacies. It is a valued
service, which individuals rely on to manage their existing conditions or treatment for minor
illnesses.
Our data suggest though that there are three key areas of focus that would improve
community pharmacy for local people. These are:
Awareness – Information & Communication: Our findings suggest a general confusion about
what is now available from community pharmacists. More needs to be done for the public to
understand what is available and how Community Pharmacy works. A local campaign may
build confidence in community pharmacy as a first point of contact in primary care.
General Practice Referral: The public had most confidence to attend community pharmacy if
the referral came from their GP rather than the receptionist. Work needs to be done to increase
the number of referrals from General Practices, along with improved explanation to drive
confidence in pharmacists. Timely data is needed on the number of referrals into community
pharmacy and monitoring of the Pharmacy First programme. The local Integrated Care Board
(ICB) needs to be sited on this for continuous improvement and to identify any inequalities of
access.
Facilities: Caring and confidential service. There is a need for better systems to enable patients
to feel comfortable speaking with a pharmacist on personal issues and development to aid
more confidential discussions to take place.