The number of pharmacy closures is skyrocketing, with as many as ten shutting their doors every week, experts warn.
Some 177 pharmacies closed across England between January and the end of April this year, figures show.
There were 403 pharmacy closures across the country last year, compared to 91 in 2022, according to analysis of official NHS data by industry body National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
The NPA said that without a real increase in funding for pharmacies, many will have no choice but to close for good.
Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, published in October, shows that just 11,414 community pharmacies remained in England in the 2022/2023 financial year
Boots has closed numerous local branches, while LloydsPharmacy closed its doors completely in January. Pictured: A Lloyds Pharmacy store in Bracknell, Berkshire
The government said it is consulting on the financing and contracting arrangements for pharmacies for 2024/2025.
Figures released by the NHS last year show that in 2022/2023 there will be just 11,414 community pharmacies left offering key NHS services – the lowest level since records began almost a decade ago.
However, real-time data from NHS England shows the number as of April 30, 2024 is just 10,506.
The closures are a blow to the government’s flagship Pharmacy First programme, which gives pharmacists more powers to treat patients for a number of common conditions.
It is hoped that the initiative will ease pressure on overburdened GPs.
NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: ‘Community pharmacies are facing a perfect storm of rapidly declining levels of real government funding and high levels of inflation, which are both increasing the cost of dispensing medicines and pushing many community pharmacies towards the brink.
‘Government funding no longer covers the cost of the country’s medicines, leaving pharmacies to subsidize the NHS out of their own pockets.
‘Without a real increase in funding, pharmacies will be given the choice to close their doors or drastically limit the service they can provide to their local communities, making it harder for millions of people to get advice and essential medicines.
“We need a new deal that delivers fair financing and puts an end to the mass closure of community pharmacies.”
Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch England, said: ‘The increase in pharmacy closures in England is worrying. People tell us what an essential resource pharmacy is for advice, diagnosis and treatment of minor health problems.
As part of NHS plans to free up millions of GP appointments, chemists can now hand out contraceptive pills to women. Pharmacists in the big stores also have the power to dispense prescriptions for common ailments, meaning patients struggling with minor illnesses can bypass their GP. Under wider plans, pharmacists are also offering more blood pressure checks to at-risk patients, with a commitment to provide 2.5 million a year by spring 2025
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‘They also help reduce the pressure on GPs.’
‘When a pharmacy closes it impacts on communities, especially older people who are the most regular users and those who do not have the means to travel to a pharmacy further away.
“The pharmacy industry and the health care system must work together to provide the service people need.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘More than four in five people live within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy, and there are twice as many pharmacies in deprived areas, making access to care faster and easier.
‘We have made £645 million of new funding available over two years to support the expansion of community pharmacy services, including Pharmacy First, which is in addition to the £2.6 billion per year that pharmacies already receive.
‘We are also in discussions with Community Pharmacy England on the funding and contract arrangements for 2024/2025.’