Publication date: May 01, 2025

Long COVID affects ~2 million people across the UK. People with Long COVID (PwLC) can experience uncertainty around symptom management and prospect of recovery. There are current difficulties in accessing primary care. Community pharmacies could provide a more accessible alternative for PwLC seeking advice about symptom management. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society acknowledge the role that pharmacists could play in supporting PwLC. To understand the potential scope for the role of pharmacists in supporting PwLC. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with PwLC to explore symptom management and current advice and support available; and community pharmacy staff to explore knowledge about Long COVID, and attitudes and beliefs about the potential role of community pharmacy for PwLC. A Patient Advisory Group and Expert Advisory Group are informing all aspects of the research. Interviews are ongoing. Six have been completed at time of submission (PwLC [n = 5]; pharmacy staff [n = 1]). Early findings suggest PwLC do not engage with community pharmacy staff to manage their symptoms but are open to this in the future. Data from the single pharmacy staff interviewee should be treated tentatively but suggested limited awareness of, and/or contact with, PwLC. Further training was felt to be needed to support identification and signposting. Not all members of community pharmacy are likely to need the same level of training. Working with the Centre for Postgraduate Pharmacy Education, we will use findings to inform the development of a training resource for community pharmacy staff to better support and signpost PwLC.

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