Investigating the organisational factors associated with variation in clinical productivity in community pharmacies: a mixed-methods study

This project is funded by the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research Programme.

Pharmacist serving a customer

The project aims to investigate variation in both the quality and quantity of service provision in community pharmacies and the different organisational characteristics associated with this variation. 

Community pharmacies play a key role in healthcare systems. Not only do they dispense prescriptions, but they are becoming increasingly involved in helping patients use their medicines more effectively (eg through medicines use reviews or ‘MURs’) and in providing services such as minor ailment schemes and smoking cessation services. Community pharmacy organisations vary widely from small independently-owned businesses to large national chains and supermarkets.

Whilst the larger chains may provide a greater volume of additional services, this might be at the expense of quality with the quest for profit being prioritised over benefits for patients.

Project team