Research commissioned by PAGB for last month’s Self Care Week has revealed that the nation’s top health concern is staying healthy while getting older (65 per cent), followed by keeping fit and active (59 per cent) and eating a healthy diet (56 per cent).

However, despite this desire to remain in good health, the survey also revealed that people might not be making the best use of services to access health advice. Just 63 per cent of those surveyed said that they trust their pharmacist's advice on keeping healthy, compared with 89 per cent who rely on their GP for health information and 82 per cent who turn to Google.

“I am encouraged that people want to stay fit and eat well, but it is vital that we provide information to help them make healthy lifestyle choices and ensure they know where to go for advice and support,” said Dr Pete Smith, a GP and co-chair of the Self Care Forum.