Share your experience of pharmacist prescribing

The research team:

National Pharmacy Association (NPA) - The NPA represents community pharmacies across the UK and supports them to provide good care to patients. It is a not-for-profit organisation, which means any money it makes goes back into improving pharmacy services.  

They are in charge of this research and responsible for how your information is used. In legal terms, they are the data controller.  

Thiscovery - This survey is hosted on Thiscovery, a secure online platform for health research. Thiscovery Ltd is an independent organisation that helps with health research. We collect and look after your data on behalf of the NPA, carry out the analysis, and run the survey platform. In legal terms, we are the data processor. This means we follow the NPA's instructions on how your data is used, and we keep it safe.

Q Community - a national network that supports improvement in NHS services. They receive a copy of our final analysis report. They do not receive any of your individual survey answers.

What this means for you:

• The NPA is legally responsible for your data and your rights
• Thiscovery is your main day-to-day contact for questions about your data
• Q Community only ever sees the summary report, never your personal responses

Learn more about these organisations:

• National Pharmacy Association: www.npa.co.uk  ‍
• Q Community: www.q.health.org.uk ‍
• Thiscovery: www.thiscovery.org  

How to take part:

1. Complete a short consent form
2. Complete the survey about your pharmacy experiences and views
3. Optionally, give us some basic information about you

The main survey asks you to:

• Tell us about your recent experiences using pharmacies and getting medicines
• Tell us how comfortable you would feel getting a prescription written by a pharmacist, instead of a GP, in different real-life situations. We will describe a range of scenarios, from minor to more serious illnesses, and ask about your preferences.  
• Tell us what would help you feel safe and confident getting a prescription written by a pharmacist
• Share any other thoughts, concerns or suggestions about how this kind of service should work

Do I have to answer all questions? No. You can skip any questions you don't want to answer. But answering more questions gives us better information about what people think.

How long does it take? About 10-15 minutes. But you can take as long as you need.

Can I take breaks? Yes. Your answers are saved as you go. Use the same device and browser to continue where you left off.

Can someone help me? Yes. A family member or friend can help you use the website or read questions. But please give your own answers, not theirs.

Is there a deadline? Yes. The deadline is [add date].

Can I change my mind? Yes. You can stop taking part at any time without giving a reason. Email help@thiscovery.org if you want to withdraw.

Benefits of taking part:

• Have your say on how pharmacy services should develop
• Your answers could help help make pharmacy services better for patients.

Possible risks:

• Some questions ask about experiences with health services or medicines that may not have gone smoothly. This might bring up difficult memories.  
• You can stop or skip questions at any time if you feel uncomfortable
• There is support is available if you need it

If you need support:

• Contact us: help@thiscovery.org

How we use your answers:

• We combine everyone's answers to understand what people think
• We use this information to create a detailed insights report with findings and recommendations
• Nobody will be able to identify you in anything we publish

What the NPA receives:

• Our analysis report with anonymous summaries
• A copy of your individual survey responses with your name removed and replaced with a code number, so you cannot be identified
• The NPA may carry out additional analysis with these responses
• They must follow UK data protection law

What Q Community receives:

• A copy of our analysis report only
• They do not receive any of your individual survey answers

Your identity is protected:

• Your name is removed before any sharing takes place
• Open-text comments are checked to remove any identifying details
• A code number is used so responses cannot be linked back to you

How you can learn about the results: If you give us your email address, we'll send you a summary of what we found.

What we collect: Your survey responses and optional background information (age group, gender, region, caring responsibilities). We don't collect your name or contact details unless you choose to provide them at the end.

How we use it: We create an analysis report for the NPA. We also share a copy of your individual survey responses (with your name replaced by a code number) with the NPA. They may use this for additional research and analysis.

Keeping it safe: Your data is encrypted, stored securely, and only accessed by our research team. We follow research governance standards and UK data protection law.

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How long we keep it:

• Your survey answers: We keep identifiable details for up to 6 months after the project ends, then remove names and keep anonymous answers for up to 2 years. ‍
• Summary reports (with no names): Thiscovery may keep these longer to support future research. ‍
• Your contact details (if you give them):  
  
  • For this project only: deleted after 6 months
    
  • For future Thiscovery opportunities: kept until you unsubscribe ‍
• The NPA will keep your data in line with their retention policy (up to 24 months)

Legal basis: We have a legitimate interest in conducting research that can improve NHS pharmacy services for patients. We've balanced this against your privacy rights and believe the research benefits justify the minimal privacy impact.

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Your rights and choices

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access - see what information we hold about you ‍
• Correct - fix any incorrect information ‍
• Delete - ask us to remove your information ‍
• Object - tell us to stop using your information ‍
• Withdraw - change your mind about taking part

To exercise any of these rights, email us at help@thiscovery.org

About the prizes

We're offering [NUMBER] prizes:

• [LIST EACH PRIZE with value, e.g., "First prize: £100 shopping voucher"]
• No cash alternative available

How to enter

• Provide your name and email at the end of the survey
• You can enter even if you don't finish the survey
• You can also enter by emailing help@thiscovery.org before [CLOSING DATE]
• Only one entry per person

Important dates

• Survey closes: [DATE]
• Draw takes place: [DATE, within 6 weeks of survey closing]
• Winners contacted: within [NUMBER] weeks of the draw (by [DATE])
• Prizes delivered: within 6 weeks of being contacted

How winners are chosen

• Winners are selected at random
• The draw is run by [NAME/ROLE] at Thiscovery
• Independent verification by [NAME/ROLE]

How winners are contacted

• We'll email you at the address you provide
• You'll have [NUMBER] days to respond
• If you don't respond in time, we'll select another winner

Your privacy

• Thiscovery administers all prizes
• The NPA does not receive winner names
• Your prize draw details are deleted 8 weeks after all prizes are delivered

If you also consent to other uses of your email (like receiving results or learning about future opportunities), those details are kept for different periods as described in the privacy notice.

‍Questions about the prize draw? Email help@thiscovery.org