When the Common Conditions Scheme (CCS) was introduced earlier this year, giving pharmacists powers to prescribe treatment for eight common illnesses without patients first requiring a GP appointment, the early discussion understandably focused on the operational details: which conditions were covered, how pharmacies would participate, and what it might mean for patients.
But beneath those practical questions sits something much bigger: evidence that the public is moving ahead of the debate.
The findings of a new nationally representative poll of 1,000 people, undertaken by Amárach Research and commissioned by Azure Pharmaceuticals, point to a healthcare system where the public increasingly sees pharmacists not simply as dispensers of medicines, but as trusted frontline healthcare professionals capable of playing a much larger clinical role.
That matters.
For years, conversations around expanded pharmacy services often centred on if pharmacists could do more clinically. Our research suggests “if” has been settled. What remains is how far, and how fast.
The headline finding is striking: 84% of respondents said they would consider using the CCS instead of visiting a GP for eligible conditions.
It would be easy to read such a figure purely through the lens of access pressures. And yes, the backdrop matters: GP shortages are real, wait times are growing, and regional disparities are widening. Among respondents in Leinster (outside Dublin), 25% cited difficulty getting a GP appointment as a reason they’d use the CCS more than double the national average.
But what stood out most to me in this data isn’t just the convenience argument. It’s the trust piece. People aren’t just willing to use the Scheme, they’re comfortable with it. 67% believe the €30–40 fee represents good value for pharmacist-led diagnosis and treatment. That’s not a grudging compromise. That’s confidence in a model.
That is significant because it points to pharmacy increasingly being viewed not simply as an alternative, but as part of the practical solution to healthcare access challenges.
At the same time, the research also points to an important challenge: awareness.
While overall awareness of the Scheme is relatively strong for such a new initiative, 40% of respondents still said they were unaware it exists. Awareness gaps were particularly pronounced among younger adults, with 57% of 18–24 year olds and 49% of 25–34 year olds unaware of the services now available through participating pharmacies.
That contrast is especially interesting because younger adults are often among the most convenience-driven healthcare consumers. In many ways, they are exactly the demographic most likely to value accessible, pharmacy-based care. Yet many remain unaware the service exists. This mirrors the findings of research we conducted among this age cohort earlier in the year on the subject of over-the-counter medicines.
The CCS was introduced to do two things: expand access to care and take pressure off general practice. On the evidence of this poll, public attitudes are moving in the right direction, and faster than many might have expected.
But attitudes alone don’t reshape a healthcare system. That requires the Scheme to be embedded into wider primary care planning, properly funded, and supported by sustained public communication, especially for younger cohorts who haven’t yet connected what they want (fast, affordable healthcare) with what’s now available to them.
Community pharmacy has always been one of Ireland’s most accessible and trusted healthcare touchpoints. What’s evolving is the clinical depth that sits behind that access.
This research suggests the public is ready for that shift. The real question is whether the system is ready to go further in meeting them there. And if these findings are any indication, the public may already be more ready for that shift than many assume.
ENDS
For further details on the research, please email info@azure-pharma.com