Key Summary
- A poll for Boots found that 49% of UK adults believe their local high street is actively getting worse
- Respondents to a poll said that access to healthcare was their second most critical local priority.
- 14.6 million GP appointments could be saved annually by expanding community pharmacy services such as Pharmacy First.
A report has revealed that expanding pharmacy services on the high street could remove the need for up to 14.6m GP appointments and claw back millions of missed working days for the economy.
A ‘Healthy High Streets’ report, commissioned by Boots, working with researchers Public First who polled over 2,000 UK adults, found that 94% of UK adults would actively visit other shops and businesses if more healthcare services were available on their local high street, generating an average additional spend of £15 per trip.
The report suggests that expanded healthcare provision on the high street could deliver a £13 billion boost to the UK economy, while reducing pressure on the NHS.
This comes at a critical time for town centres, as 49% of those surveyed reported that their local high street is actively getting worse and ranked access to local healthcare as their second most important community issue.
The data highlights the vital role of pharmacies, with 74% of the public describing them as essential to their local high street – a figure that rises to 81% among those aged 65 and over.
When asked which clinical services they most wanted to see expanded locally, respondents wanted dental services (77%), eye care (75%), testing and diagnostics (72%), vaccinations (71%), long-term condition management like diabetes or high blood pressure (71%), and weight loss management (54%).
High street renewal
With a High Streets Strategy being discussed in government and the NHS 10 Year Health Plan committing to shifting care directly into communities, Boots has called on policymakers to put healthcare at the heart of high street renewal.
High streets remain central to British life, with 88% of people saying their local high street is important to their overall quality of life.
However, footfall fell by 6.2% year-on-year in the five weeks leading up to 5 July.
In parallel, local healthcare networks are buckling under strain. In the survey, 57% of people said they would utilise health screenings more frequently if they were accessible locally, and 77% felt that the travel distance to their nearest provider directly impacted their overall health.
Seb Wride, Head of Research at Public First, said: “The public want more healthcare on their high street, but the gap between what people expect and the reality on the ground, tracks closely with a sense that local areas are falling behind.”
Anthony Hemmerdinger, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Boots, said: “People are increasingly looking for convenient, accessible healthcare services in the heart of their communities, and high street pharmacies are uniquely placed to meet that need.”
Ruth Rankine, Director of Primary, Community and Neighbourhood Health at The NHS Alliance, said: “We believe that the Primary Care Collaboratives emerging across the country provide an ideal vehicle for working with commissioners and local authorities to strengthen the health offer on high streets, while ensuring neighbourhood health services take a broader approach to prevention and the social determinants of health through close partnership with public health teams.”
Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, commented: “Community pharmacies are the most accessible part of the NHS, offering a range of high-quality clinical services and healthcare advice for patients and the public on a walk-in basis.
“Their convenient locations on high streets across the country not only support easy access to healthcare, but also put pharmacies at the heart of efforts to improve local economies. Pharmacies are popular with the public, important as local employers and provide a vital support structure for the wider NHS, while also bringing life to fading high streets.
“As this report confirms, expanding the healthcare offer from pharmacies would go far beyond improving for health outcomes, bringing wider benefits for high streets, productivity and the public.”
