Patient feedback solutions in community pharmacies play a vital role in not only collecting feedback from service users, but also providing the opportunity for data to be turned into valuable insights. Due to the nature of pharmacy services, it is essential that the support, medical advice and services offered are tailored to the communities that need them, which is why feedback is so critical in this process. Mandatory surveys are a core procedure, as part of the larger arena of the duty to patient care. The feedback collected acts as a form of assessment for not only the pharmacy, but also the services provided.

Due to the pandemic, the Community Pharmacy Patient Questionnaire was put on hold, as priorities surrounding patient care were reorganised. The requirement to gather this data on patient satisfaction is being resumed as normal for the 2022/23 financial year, which means many pharmacies need to ensure their knowledge and collection methods are up to date and ready to go.

Here, we will be exploring the role of mandatory community pharmacy surveys and how our team at We Love Surveys can support pharmacies who want to improve their feedback and data analysis processes.

The benefits of mandatory surveys for community pharmacies

There are a wide variety of benefits to the annual surveys that community pharmacies are required to complete. These range from improving patient care to tailoring the specific services that are offered at each pharmacy. Feedback is the key to success in this area. For example, if the patient surveys reveal that users of community pharmacies do not feel there are adequate private spaces to discuss sensitive subjects with staff, this is something that could be actively improved which, in turn, allows the pharmacy to remain at the core of the community.

In our previous article in this series about community pharmacies, ‘Improving the patient experience: Why empowering pharmacy users to give feedback is essential for community pharmacies to thrive’, we explored in detail exactly why empowering service users to offer feedback is key and why additional feedback is important.

It’s important to note that, as a community pharmacy, acquiring feedback from service users annually through the CPPQ is a mandatory requirement. The most recent particulars state that the questions are no longer pre-set; however, there are 3 mandated topics. This ensures that while key areas of feedback such as the issue of privacy are dived into, there is more freedom to explore different ways to ask the question to increase clarity, the likelihood of receiving responses, and achieving the depth of response you are looking for. This is a great opportunity to design a survey that collects the data on the topics that matter most to you, your business and your community.

The three mandatory feedback topics

Below are the three topics required in every CPPQ survey for 2022/23. You can find more information about this here on the PSNC website.

1) The ease of being able to speak to staff privately without being overheard Possible questions could include: Are you aware that the pharmacy has a consultation room where you can discuss health matters privately? Do you know how to arrange to speak with pharmacy staff privately? Do you know how we protect your privacy if we conduct consultations with you over the phone?

2) The provision of advice on health problems and healthy living. Possible questions could include: Are you able to easily access health advice from pharmacy staff? How do you prefer to receive healthy living advice? Do you feel comfortable approaching pharmacy staff about your health problems?

3) The timeliness of provision of NHS Services. Possible questions could include: Are you happy with how quickly you are able to receive your prescriptions? Has the pharmacy been able to meet your health needs during the pandemic? Are there some services you think we should prioritise over others in the pharmacy?

How We Love Surveys can support you

At We Love Surveys, we have been working in patient experience feedback since 2006, meaning we have a wealth of knowledge in this area. We support many healthcare providers (NHS, private, GP and dental) across the UK in their goal to exceed their patients' expectations on every occasion.

We’re proud to offer patient feedback solutions for our pharmacy partners. Our project with pharmacy chain Avicenna enables them to continuously review and improve their patient services through the feedback collected. Our Buzz Box devices we provide allow patients and customers to give in-the-moment feedback during their visit to an Avicenna pharmacy. Both positive and negative feedback at this crucial time is acknowledged and utilised to improve the customer experience, both locally and across the organisation.

You can learn more about the work we do with Avicenna here.

From the Friends and Family tests that are commonplace in GP surgeries to detailed patient surveys, we can support you with all your feedback requirements. If you are looking to take your paper surveys online but keep the questions the same, we can support you with that or, if you would like to do an entirely new set of questions to meet your feedback goals, our team can support you with that, too.

We have our version of the 2022 CCPQ survey ready and waiting, which means if you’re looking to take your existing survey online, we can handle this for you quickly and efficiently. Or, if you would like to ask some questions you have previously used, this isn’t an issue as we can help you by making them digital and updating the survey with your required branding. Just get in touch with us today to find out more.

It’s also worth noting that we have a copy of the pre-2022 mandatory survey questions available, which clients are welcome to use in their feedback solutions (whilst ensuring that the 3 specified topics are covered). In addition, we can consult with clients on new questions that more closely align with key feedback goals and targets.

Final thoughts

It’s clear that mandatory surveys in community pharmacies play not only a vital role in the improvement of pharmacy care, but also ensure that service users feel their thoughts and opinions are taken seriously and that their feedback is acted upon.

Our team at We Love Surveys are here to support our clients in the pharmacy industry to ensure their mandatory surveys meet both internal and external requirements.

Our team can work with you to find the right feedback solution for your pharmacy business and start your journey to better, informed decision making, with your patients and customers at the heart of what you do.

To learn more about us and how we can support your business, get in touch today.