Public confused about health services
Members of the public are still confused about which health service they should use if they are unwell, according to research published by Developing
Patient Partnerships.
Over three quarters of the 1,003 people surveyed said that they would
rather personally choose which health service they use when they are
unwell than have that decision made for them. However, 14 per cent admitted
finding it difficult to know which service to use in an emergency. Furthermore,
13 per cent of people surveyed said they have difficulty in knowing what
to do with even a routine problem, such as a chesty cough.
A spokeswoman from the Proprietary Association of Great Britain said: “This
study clearly shows that people are still lacking advice on how to cope
with minor health problems and how to use NHS services properly. There
is a clear opportunity here for pharmacists to address this and to educate
people on how to manage minor ailments and how to get the best out of
NHS services.”
A Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee spokeswoman added that
the PSNC is currently working with the Department of Health and the primary
care contracting team to develop a communications plan to inform the
public about the new community pharmacy contract, which they aim to launch
in the autumn. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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