In January, 89.4% of people who have received an NHS England service at a pharmacy were satisfied with their experience, data from the most recent Health Insight Survey shows. This represents an increase of 0.5% in satisfaction from the month before. Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied rates remained the same, whilst dissatisfied rates saw a decrease of 0.6%.
Of the 83,853 individuals surveyed about NHS pharmacy services, 50.3% report receiving prescription services and 3.4% report receiving advice and guidance on minor condition services. In January, there was a decrease in the number of Covid and flu vaccinations, as only 0.9% of people received flu vaccinations and 0.5% received covid vaccinations. This is a decrease from the 2.9% and 2.0% registered respectively in December.
At a local level, the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board saw the highest level of satisfaction with NHS pharmacy services across the country (92.9%), an increase of over 2% from the month before. Conversely, the highest dissatisfaction rates were seen in the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB (6.7%).
Prescription services were most frequently accessed in the ICBs of Somerset (60.6%) and of Lincolnshire (60%). Additionally, flu vaccination rates were highest in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB (4.9%) and in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB (4.8%).
Geodata context
The January Health Insight Survey data has been released amidst news of a pharmacy crisis, as more and more pharmacies are expected to step up to reduce pressure on other services, whilst facing rising costs and continued underfunding.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association: “The main concern for community pharmacy remains the lack of adequate core funding. The sector needs the headroom to be able to manage debt then move forward with a remuneration model that gives both stability and the potential to invest, plan, and prepare for the future.”
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of Company Chemists’ Association: “A decade of underfunding has caused untenable pressure, with over 1,200 pharmacy closures since 2017.”
About the map
The map below shows pharmacy experiences, including the type of NHS services accessed in pharmacies and satisfaction rates with these. To explore detailed figures for your area, double-click on the map or click here to view the full-page version.