The majority of people in England who responded to a survey commissioned by the PSNC said it would be easier to get health advice for common conditions in a community pharmacy than from a GP, bolstering the case for a national Pharmacy First scheme.   

Of the 1,774 people who took part in the study which was carried out by YouGov, 68 per cent agreed they would find it easier to look for health advice for problems including skin conditions and indigestion in a pharmacy, with just 11 per cent disagreeing.

Seventy-five per cent said they want pharmacies to offer more healthcare services such as urinary tract infection or sore throat treatment. Just six per cent strongly disagreed.

Seventy-eight per cent said the services provided by community pharmacies are very important to them while 14 per cent said they were not. Seventy-seven per cent said they would be very concerned if their pharmacy closed and 19 per cent said they would not be concerned.

PSNC chief executive Janet Morrison said the results “will come as no surprise to anybody working in community pharmacy.”

“The public value their local pharmacies and want to see them doing even more to support their health,” she said.

“Having the data to prove this is incredibly important and allows us to once again show government and the NHS how important pharmacies are and how much people want to go on using them.

“They must listen to the voice of the public and step in not only to save pharmacies, but to allow them to build on their successes during the pandemic to offer a national Pharmacy First service.”