New survey seeks people's pharmacy experiences

Pharmacists and patients can complete an online survey or attend an event to give their views

People are being invited to share their experiences of pharmacies as part of a new project examining the impact of recent closures and an increase in services.

Healthwatch Gloucestershire said it is hearing of people having to travel further or find alternative ways to collect their prescriptions and receive care.

The organisation has launched a survey and will be holding events to get the views of residents and pharmacists in the county.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it is committed to supporting community pharmacists.

Lucy White from Healthwatch Gloucestershire said they are keen to hear from many different people about their experiences of the county's pharmacies

It comes as the National Pharmacy Association warned last month that rural areas across the country were at risk of becoming "pharmacy deserts".

Lucy White who manages Healthwatch Gloucestershire said pharmacies are a "hot topic" among those who call or email them.

"What we're hearing up to this point about the impact that closures (of pharmacies) are having in terms of people having to travel further, about prescriptions sometimes being delayed and that causing anxiety for people who are on long-term medications," she said.

"We've also been hearing through our channels about medication shortages, that people have been offered alternative brands."

Pharmacist Muhammed Ahmed runs Allcare Pharmacy in Gloucester and said: "The pharmacy sector has always been a bouncy one because of funding. There has been an issue with getting medicines since Brexit happened, so there has been a shortage of medicines.

"There have been issues with NHS funding and pharmacy funding. The price we're buying them (medicines) in at is more expensive than what we're being reimbursed for.

"Each individual pharmacy is a business and sometimes the margin becomes so tight that it's very difficult for us to carry on."

Allcare Pharmacy owner Muhammed Ahmed said the funding for pharmacies must improve to help keep them in business

The research should be completed by the end of the year, with the aim of publishing a report next spring.

"We appreciate that everyone's experience might be different depending on different areas of the county so we really want to hear as many voices as possible to get that full picture and make some informed recommendations about how services can be improved in the county," Ms White said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "This government inherited a broken NHS where pharmacies have been neglected for years.

“We are committed to supporting community pharmacists, which have a vital role to play as we pursue our mission to shift the focus of care out of hospitals and into the community .”