The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7476 p492
3 November 2007

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LTCs make accessing services difficult

Adults with long-term conditions experience restricted access to services, including pharmacies, according to new research. However, pharmacies score better than many of the other services examined in Scotland.

An analysis of the Scottish Household and Scottish Health surveys shows that, apart from small grocery stores, community pharmacies were the service used most frequently by people with long-term conditions.

Pharmacies were used at least once a month by 80 per cent of adults with a long-term condition and 72 per cent of adults with a disability. Doctors’ surgeries were used by 57 and 53 per cent, respectively. Of adults without long-term conditions or disabilities, 58 per cent used pharmacies at least once a month.

In terms of convenience, 84 per cent of adults with a long-term condition and 78 per cent of adults with a disability found pharmacies convenient. This compared with 75 and 70 per cent, respectively, for doctors. Banks, post offices and petrol stations all scored lower than pharmacies.

Overall, the report found that adults with a long-term condition were more likely to use health services than their healthy counterparts but were more likely to find them inconvenient. They were also more likely to be socially and economically disadvantaged.