People who live in Sefton and who use local high street pharmacies and chemists are being asked to take part in a survey.

Pharmacies for the future

Sefton Council’s Public Health team organise the survey every three years to help draw up the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment. The results are used to help plan services, including community pharmacies, for the future.

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment also helps businesses decide if they should apply to open a new pharmacy in Sefton.

Anyone who use local high street pharmacies and chemists can take part, but the team particularly want to hear from people who might find it harder to go to a pharmacy or get the help they need.

People with a physical or learning disability

This could include people with a physical or learning disability, or those with a hearing or sight impairment or other communication difference. It could also be people for whom English is a second language or who are on very low incomes,   and those with a temporary address or homeless. And people with other major difficulties in their life such as problems with alcohol or drugs, experience of abuse or neglect, or who feel isolated.

It is also valuable for the team to hear from people who are likely to use pharmacy services a lot because, for example, they have a serious physical or mental health condition.

People can take the survey by visiting www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PharmacyServices. The questionnaire is hosted by Liverpool City Council for all the local authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside.

You can find all the information you need about the survey, including downloadable quick and easy version of the survey here.

Surveys can be in either format and complete it electronically or by hand and returned by post.

There is also a link to the current Sefton Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, which lasts from 2022 to 2025.

Information to plan better services

Cllr Mhairi Doyle, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “I hope people will take part in the survey because it really helps us to get a picture of how and why they are using pharmacies and any problems they encounter when doing so.

“We can then use that information to plan better services for the future and to deal with any uses people are experiencing.”

Anonymous survey

The survey is anonymous. Only the small number of people who will write the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment will see the survey responses. Once the Assessment is written, the information collected will be disposed of confidentially.

A summary of the findings will be reported to Sefton Council’s Consultation and Engagement Panel early in 2025. It will also be publicised on the Council’s website.  A summary of the results and main points from this survey will also be included in the main PNA report, which will be published on the Sefton Council website in October 2025.

You can use this link to find your nearest pharmacy.