Pharmacy First – How is it working in Tameside?
Healthwatch Tameside is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in Tameside. We listen to local people and gather information about their experiences of using health and social care services, and feed these back to commissioners and providers to help influence change.
Healthwatch Tameside has published a new report exploring how the Pharmacy First service is working for residents across the borough. The service, launched nationally in January 2024, allows community pharmacies to treat seven common conditions without the need for a GP appointment. This report captures public awareness, usage, and experiences of the service, and offers recommendations for improvement.
Healthwatch Tameside gathered feedback from 229 residents through a mixed-methods approach, including online and paper surveys, phone interviews, QR code responses, and outreach sessions. Additionally, 39 local health and care services were visited to assess visual promotion of Pharmacy First, providing a comprehensive view of public awareness and service delivery across Tameside.
Key Findings
- Positive experiences: 83% of people who had used Pharmacy First said they would use it again. Speed and convenience were highly valued.
- Awareness vs usage: While 60% of respondents had heard of the service, only 15% had used it. Usage was notably lower among certain age and ethnicity groups.
- Barriers to use: Hesitancy stemmed from a preference for seeing GPs, confusion about what pharmacists can treat, and negative past experiences.
- Promotion gaps: Only 67% of pharmacies and 27% of GP practices visited were visibly promoting the service, despite 98% of pharmacies offering it.
- Suggestions for improvement: Respondents wanted expanded treatment options, especially for cold and flu symptoms, and broader age eligibility.
Tameside Intergrated Care Board (ICB) welcomed the report and committed to working with Healthwatch Tameside to address the findings. They plan to incorporate the feedback into local improvement programmes and collaborate with pharmacy and GP alliances to enhance service delivery.
Healthwatch Tameside will continue to monitor the Pharmacy First service and advocate for improvements based on public feedback. The insights from this report will be shared with NHS England to inform future service reviews.