Taskforce conducted a survey for Lung Health

Taskforce conducted a survey for Lung Health, which found that ninety-five per cent of people, who use community pharmacies living with lung disease in England, rated pharmacy services as essential, valuable or something they can’t live without.

A coalition of organisations that makes up the task force, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Asthma UK, surveyed more than two thousand people with lung conditions during one month in August 2020. The majority of respondents had asthma (46%), COPD (47%) and bronchiectasis (24%).

Of those who participated in the survey, seventy-five per cent stated that they valued community pharmacy services due to being close to home. Furthermore, convenient opening times were cited by thirty-nine per cent and having no need to make an appointment valued by forty-eight per cent of respondents.

In addition, the results showed that twenty-three per cent of patients were not aware of all the services their pharmacy could offer them. Also, forty-eight per cent of the respondents were not using an inhaler technique service. This could be because twenty-five per cent of them were unaware of these services.

A consultant respiratory pharmacist, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Anna Murphy, stated: “Community pharmacists have an important role in the prevention of lung disease by encouraging healthy living and stop smoking advice – as well having a regular opportunity to support people with optimising their medicines; for example, inhaler technique. It is reassuring that this survey found people with lung disease find the community pharmacy valuable, but further awareness is required to further promote the services community pharmacies can provide.”