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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is embarking on UK-wide research to find out what the public thinks about community pharmacists prescribing medicines and get a clearer picture of the challenges pharmacies providing prescribing services face.

As part of the study, the NPA has partnered with Thiscovery to roll out an online survey to understand what concerns patients may have about pharmacists writing prescriptions after hearing about their symptoms instead of a GP and what would improve public confidence.

The survey will also garner views from community pharmacists with or without a prescribing qualification and ultimately give policymakers, commissioners and NHS leaders a better understanding of how prescribing is being used in community pharmacy, how it is working effectively and what challenges pharmacies face.

The NPA is keen to establish “how ready” community pharmacy is for the “wider adoption” of prescribing, given every newly qualified pharmacist will become an independent prescriber on the day of their registration from September.

Shed light on the funding, infrastructure and policy changes

It is hoped the results of the survey, which is open to anyone aged 18 or over who has ever used a pharmacy, will shed light on the funding, infrastructure and policy changes which would be needed to support safe and effective prescribing in community pharmacy.

It is understood the Government and Community Pharmacy England are discussing a national community pharmacy prescribing service in England as part of the sector’s 2026-27 funding negotiations.

The NPA also wants to hear from pharmacies that are not offering independent prescribing, those that are looking to do so in future, pharmacists training to become prescribers and individuals “who feel barriers are preventing progress”.

The NPA, who will reveal the study’s findings at its conference next month, said: “Every response will help strengthen the evidence base around independent prescribing in community pharmacy and contribute towards shaping future service development and support.”

The results of the survey, which closes on May 24, are anonymous and Thiscovery will write a report based on the findings before sharing it with the NPA.

Others who have been invited to take part in the study include GPs, nurse prescribers and other clinicians who can prescribe in primary or urgent care, as well as primary care network, neighbourhood or local area managers without commissioning responsibilities and NHS commissioners, planners and service designers.

Highly significant in informing development of patient care

NPA chief executive Henry Gregg said the project “will be highly significant in terms of informing the development of community pharmacy patient care and prescribing practice in the NHS”.

“The forthcoming expansion of pharmacist prescribers is a strategically significant development, which will ultimately benefit our sector, the NHS and most of all patients,” he said.

“The NPA is already supplying practical help to pharmacist prescribers and aspiring IPs, but we want to understand what more support is needed to expand and improve prescribing in community pharmacy.”

Suggesting Labour will be “very interested” in the study’s findings, Gregg said any new pharmacy services including prescribing must be “funded with new money”.

“There’s no point in the Government trying to squeeze more from less, by raiding a budget for dispensing that is already completely inadequate,” he said.