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Almost 90 per cent of the population in England can access a community pharmacy within a 20-minute walk, with access better in areas of highest deprivation, according to researchers from Durham University.

Basing distances on the postcodes for all community pharmacies in England and using walking as a marker of access to eliminate barriers such as car ownership or affordability of public transport, the study estimates that 89.2 per cent of the population have access to a community pharmacy within a 20-minute walk (based on straight-line distance).

In urban areas, 98.3 per cent of the population can access a community pharmacy within a 20- minute walk – a figure that falls to 79.9 per cent in “town and fringe” and 18.9 per cent in rural areas. In the 10 per cent of areas of highest deprivation, 99.8 per cent of the population can access a community pharmacy within 20 minutes.

“These results show that pharmacies are wellplaced in the community to deliver public health services. This is particularly important for the poorest areas where more people die from conditions such as smoking, alcohol misuse and obesity compared to people from more affluent areas,” says lead author Adam Todd from Durham University’s school of medicine, pharmacy and health.

“With easy access without patients needing to make an appointment, the results suggest there is potential for community pharmacies to deliver public health interventions to areas which need them most.”