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

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

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

*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.
**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).

ISSN: 1472-6963