Community Pharmacy Consultation

Closed 20 Aug 2019

Opened 23 Jul 2019

Contact

Maria Bell

(Pharmaceutical Adviser)

Primary Care Pharmacy

+44 1624 642647

maria.bell@gov.im

Feedback updated 15 Oct 2019

We asked

The Department of Health and Social Care asked for feedback on the publics use and satisfaction with community pharmacy services on the island; in addition, the public were asked to comment on their opinions of introducing new services into community pharmacy and what these might be.

The feedback was sought on the following main areas:

  • What factors affect people’s choice of pharmacy
  • How they visit pharmacies including time and frequency
  • How satisfied patients are with the current services they receive, including ease of obtaining medicines and advice
  • If patients are aware of the services that are currently available in community pharmacies
  • How they would view the possibility of introducing a selection of new services in the future

You said

We received 325 responses in total, with 227 being submitted via the Consultation Hub and 98 written responses to the consultation. During the consultation process we also hosted a workshop to bring together members of the public to discuss their thoughts on pharmacy services and we held stands in tow large community pharmacies to answer questions and provide paper copies of the survey. Local community pharmacies and GP surgeries had paper copies available for patients to pick up and send in with pre-printed envelopes.

There were some very positive responses received with 87.4% of respondents stating it was ‘always’ or ‘mostly’ easy to obtain their medicines, and less that 1% of respondents stating it was ‘always difficult’ to obtain their medicines. Again, it was really pleasing to see that 74.5% of patients responded that they ‘always’ or ‘often’ get all the advice and support they need form their pharmacist.

Some of the potential future services received overwhelmingly positive responses, with the Winter Ailment Scheme resulting in 92% of patients who replied stating that it should be available, and NHS Health Checks being supported by 89% of respondents.

We did

We would like to thank those that took the time to answer the consultation online or in writing. The consultation responses are being used to produce a paper to the Department of Health and Social Care to inform senior management and political members about the possible development of pharmacy services in the future.

Overview

The local community pharmacy - also known as the ‘chemist’ - is central to meeting people’s healthcare needs by providing prescription medicines, but also offering services and advice to many people in the population.

The Department of Health and Social Care is reviewing the services provided by community pharmacies on the island. We are interested in understanding how people use our pharmacies and if there are any unmet needs in our population.

Why your views matter

The Department of Health and Social Care has a strategy to provide more services closer to people’s homes and at convenient time for them.

Services provided by community pharmacies have expanded in many other countries and pharmacies can meet many people’s healthcare needs without the requirement for an appointment.

We want to take the population’s opinion on how they would like to use their pharmacy in the future; for example, if the DHSC were to fund extra services within pharmacies we want to ensure they are properly used and appropriate for our Island’s needs.

What happens next

The results will be processed and provided to the DHSC to consider the future funding and choices for services in community pharmacy.

A summary of the results will be made available to the public on the Isle of  Man pharmacy pages.

Events

Areas

  • All Areas

Audiences

  • All residents

Interests

  • Hospital
  • GPs
  • Public Health
  • Health