Paper habits dying as fewer people write letters, research shows

Letter writing is a fading habit, according to new research from Yougov which finds that a third of Sussex adults have not written a letter for more than five years.
Post boxPost box
Post box

More than one in ten in the region have never written a letter and posted it at all, according to the study, commissioned by the online - pharmacy Pharmacy2U, which interviewed more than 2,000 respondents.

Postcards fared no better, with a similar 10 per cent of respondees having never written a postcard while on holiday.

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Writing cheques, paying bills by post and visiting a high street travel agent to book a holiday are other habits which are rapidly fading, the study found.

Yet the research highlighted that people have not adapted to new ways when it comes to paper prescriptions, preferring to take the traditional green paper slip from the GP to the pharmacy that use an electronic prescription service.

The NHS electronic prescription service is now available in 83 per cent of GP surgeries in England, according to Pharmacy2U.

Daniel Lee, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, said: “Despite ditching paper in most areas of their lives, our survey shows that people have been slow to catch on to the benefits of new digital services available within the NHS, such as electronic prescriptions.

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“It may sound like a small thing, but the convenience of a fully managed prescription service – with deliveries direct to your door – can be a huge time-saver, as well as helping those who are elderly or housebound.”

She added that the service means GPs can digitally send prescriptions direct to pharmacies, which can speed up the process.

Pharmacy2U’s NHS Repeat Prescription Service allows people to order by phone, app or online, and then have their medication delivered for free to their home or workplace, she said.

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