Most people believe that the services provided by pharmacists are ‘good value for money', according to a new survey.

The findings revealed that two-thirds of people rate pharmacy services as good value, but just 23% rate services provided by their GP as good value. When it comes to hospital services, this figure falls even further, to just 6%.

The survey noted that the vast majority of people (95%) trust the advice they receive from their pharmacist, while 60% admitted that they are more likely to talk to their pharmacist first, before visiting their GP.

Some 89% also said they would like to see pharmacies offering services such as cholesterol testing and blood pressure monitoring.

Meanwhile, the survey also noted that over half of people (54%) were not aware that the basic cost of medicines is set by the HSE and drug companies, and not by pharmacists.

The survey involved over 1,000 adults and was carried out on behalf of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) to coincide with its national pharmacy conference in Dublin.

Speaking about the results, IPU president, Daragh Connolly, said that it was ‘gratifying' to see so many people appreciating the important role of local pharmacies.

The IPU represents 95% of community pharmacies in Ireland.