Ten Facts About Community Pharmacy, UK

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 22 May 2007 - 12:00 PST

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Did you know?

-- There are approximately 12,000 community pharmacies in the UK

-- Over 80% of a pharmacy's business is NHS services

-- 6 million people visit a community pharmacy every day

-- 94% of the population use their local pharmacies at least once a year1

-- Community pharmacists are highly skilled healthcare professionals with a four year degree and one year's pre-registration training, specialising in the use and effects of medicines

-- Community pharmacy could manage an estimated 8% of adult attendances to Accident & Emergency departments2

-- Estimates suggest that the NHS could save about £380 million a year if 1 in 4 patients consulted their local pharmacist about minor ailments instead of their GP3

-- Around 30% of Primary Care Trusts are already developing schemes to provide patients treatment for minor ailments through their local pharmacist4

-- In 2002, local pharmacists dispensed 712 million prescription items, over 50% more then ten years before5

-- 75% of GPs say that pharmacists should be allowed to prescribe certain medication. GPs also believe that pharmacists could offer additional benefits to patients, such as advice on smoking cessation, skin care, blood pressure and diabetes6

References

1 Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Community pharmacy: the choice is yours. London: RPSGB, 1996 [Survey carried out by BMRB International Ltd).
2 Bednall. Identification of patients attending A&E who may be suitable for treatment by a pharmacist. Fam Prac 2003
3 Research by Boots The Chemist
4 Professor Alison Blenkinsopp, Keele University Research, July 2003
5 Yeun, Peter (ed). Compendium of health statistics 15th ed. London: Office of Health Economics, 2003
6 Lloyds Pharmacy survey, November 03

www.psnc.org.uk