A new YouGov survey of 1,000 adults indicates there is a demand among consumers to have medicines delivered to their home by their nominated pharmacy that is not currently being met.

Forty per cent of respondents to the YouGov poll, which was carried out over April 24-25, said they would use a delivery service in the next 12 months if it were available, compared to 18 per cent who had availed of a delivery service in the past year.

Service usage was lowest among respondents from the English Midlands (12 per cent), Scotland and Wales (14 per cent collectively), where the potential demand “more than triples actual use” according to YouGov. 

Usage was highest in the North of England, with 22 per cent of respondents in that region saying they had ordered medicines to their home in the past year.

Among those who were interested in using a delivery service, convenience was the most popular reason with 79 per cent saying this was the biggest pull factor. Others included being too ill to travel to the pharmacy (33 per cent) and needing an urgent delivery (16 per cent).  

Meanwhile, 39 per cent said they were not interested in having their prescriptions delivered, although a proportion of these said that factors like same-day deliveries, delivery tracking and a “wider selection” of available medicines might make them reconsider. 

YouGov said its findings point to “opportunity for growth in this sector” as demand is “much higher than current use”.

The YouGov survey does not appear to have asked consumers whether they would be willing to pay a surcharge to have their medicines delivered. In recent years many contractors have either stopped or cut back on their home delivery service over cost concerns.

As it made the decision in August last year to restrict home deliveries to housebound patients only, North of England chain Cohens Chemist said: “Due to a lack of funding, we have had to reduce the number of deliveries made to our patients from our pharmacies.”