Just one in 10 (9%) adults in Britain have turned to their local pharmacy for advice and information on lowering their risk of serious health conditions, according to a survey.

The YouGov survey of 2,120 adults – commissioned by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK and Tesco – suggested that many people could be missing out on the opportunity to access free advice via their local pharmacies.

The charities said the data shows pharmacies have ‘untapped potential’ in tackling serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

They have been training Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues to help them provide more information and support to people on how they can lower their risk of such conditions through small changes to their day-to-day routine.

The survey also found that, of those who had visited a pharmacist for health-related advice or checks, 43% said talking to a pharmacist had eased their concerns around wasting their GP’s time.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of those who had visited a pharmacist for health-related advice or checks found it easier to speak to someone in a pharmacy than in other healthcare settings, while 53% identified not having to book an appointment as a benefit of using a pharmacy.

More than 7.6 million people in the UK are living with heart and circulatory diseases, while 4.9 million have been diagnosed with diabetes in the UK  – 90% of which are cases of type 2 diabetes – and it is though that almost three million people are living with cancer.

Yet it is estimated that around four in 10 cases of cancer, many heart and circulatory diseases and up to five in 10 cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed.

The survey also found that only 2% of adults in Britain had visited their pharmacist for a blood pressure check in the last 12 months, despite an estimated 4.8 million people in the UK living with undiagnosed high blood pressure.

Dan Howarth, head of care at Diabetes UK, said on behalf of the charities: ‘We’re proud to be working together with Tesco to help deliver this world-class training to Tesco pharmacists and pharmacy colleagues.

‘Thousands of lives could be saved every year through people making positive changes that lower their risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart and circulatory diseases. Far more people could be taking advantage of the advice and support available to them from their Tesco pharmacy whilst they do their weekly shop, this includes tips and information on stopping smoking and weight management services.’

Community pharmacies in England will be asked to spot early signs of cancer and be able to refer patients directly for scans as part of an NHS pilot, it was announced last month.