More people are aware of the new medicine service (26 per cent) and medicines use reviews (30 per cent) compared to last year, according to findings from 450 patient questionnaires collected by pharmacy students from King’s College London during the NPA’s ‘Ask Your Pharmacist’ week at the end of last year. Mike Holden, chief executive of the NPA said: “The increase in awareness goes to show the importance of public awareness campaigns.”

However, the results also revealed that over 90 per cent of people aged 65 and over would use a GP as the first port of call for healthcare advice, while around 55 per cent of people aged 18-35 would look online. The patient questionnaires also revealed that men are generally unaware of the services pharmacies offer and prefer to self-treat more than women. The results conclude that more investigations are required into the reputability of online health sites, and that males and younger people should be targeted when educating the public on the role of the pharmacist.