Skip to main content

Table 4 Reasons for visiting a pharmacy (all patients completing the survey, n = 921)

From: “It’s easier in pharmacy”: why some patients prefer to pay for flu jabs rather than use the National Health Service

Reason for visiting a pharmacy** Number of patients Proportion of total (n = 921)
Convenient location 542 59%
Convenient opening hours 399 43%
Prefer the pharmacy environment and/or staff 207 22%
Saw the service advertised in-store 127 14%
Inconvenient getting to a surgery 115 12%
Employer-purchased voucher 51 6%
Spur of the moment decision 29 3%
Vaccine available 24 3%
Staff member 16 2%
Previous experience 13 1%
Trust pharmacist 12 1%
Not eligible at their GP 11 1%
Other* 94 10%
Total responses 1640  
  1. *Other reasons given included patient referred to a pharmacy, the pharmacy being less expensive than elsewhere, more appointments available, surgery waiting times, pharmacist recommendation and word of mouth.
  2. **Note some patients gave more than one reason and therefore the total responses (1640) exceed the number of patients who responded to this question (921).
Back to article page