HW100: The Trafford Pharmacy Survey Report
During the period of consultation both locally and nationally around items available on prescription from the NHS, we took the opportunity to find out about the way people in Trafford used pharmacies and look at the way they dealt with prescriptions. To do this, we used our Trafford Healthwatch 100 programme, which consists of people in Trafford that have signed up for regular surveys about health and social care in the area. We created a survey for this group on Pharmacy and prescription services, and made it available online via our website, social media and email.
Findings
Although the pharmacy usage reported was a limited representation of the Trafford population, and biased towards 45-65 year-olds and women, and away from 18-44 year olds, we found that
- Independent pharmacies were the most popular type, especially amongst disabled people and those living in Central Trafford; supermarket and chain pharmacies were the next most popular types, women aged 45-65 favouring these; and GP pharmacies were the least popular overall.
- Painkillers or medication which are only available by prescription were the most popular type of item received from pharmacies in Trafford, especially amongst women aged 18-44 and 66-79.
- Painkillers and medication available over the counter were the next most popular item received, with 66-79 year-olds and carers more likely than average to receive these.
- Disposal of unwanted or out-of-date medicines was the most popular pharmacy service in Trafford, with an estimation of roughly 20% of the population using this overall and the proportion being higher amongst women, residents of South Trafford, disabled people and those who used independent pharmacies.
- The next-most popular services were advice on the treatment of minor conditions and healthy living, and the medicines review, an estimate of roughly a third of the population receiving each:
- The proportion receiving a medicines review was estimated to be almost double this amongst 66-79 year-olds and people living in South Trafford, and also considerably higher at independent pharmacies and amongst disabled people; it was lower in Central Trafford and amongst carers.
- Trafford residents who used independent pharmacies, received prescription-only medication or returned medicine to their pharmacies were also more likely to receive advice from their pharmacies.
- In general, people who use independent pharmacies tend to receive more products and services than those who use other types; and receiving one item or service from the pharmacy increases one’s likelihood of receiving others.
- There is no demand across the population for any particular pharmacy service beyond what is currently provided, with the only theme arising from the open ended feedback being dissatisfaction with waiting times.
