Pharmacists announce day of ‘lights out’ protest amid plans to see them take over doctors in prescribing acne and HRT drugs

Pharmacies across Britain will stage a ‘day of action’ this month, switching off the lights in an ’emergency’ protest against government pay.

Thousands of chemists, who provide NHS services, are expected to join the ‘unprecedented’ action on June 20, blacking out their windows.

National Pharmacy Association (NPA) bosses claim decade-long cuts have left pharmacy teams ‘suffering increasing stress and demoralisation’.

It comes just days after the Conservatives pledged to expand the role of chemists if re-elected, giving them extra powers to prescribe acne medication, HRT drugs for menopause, as well as contraceptive patches and injections.

Under plans designed to free up millions of GP appointments, pharmacists can already prescribe seven common conditions.

But the Tories said they wanted to extend this even further.

Planned protests will see pharmacists take ‘symbolic action’ to draw attention to the challenges facing the sector, the NPA said.

This includes ‘turning off the lights’ for a few hours, asking staff to wear black clothing or black out the windows, as well as talking to patients about the protests.

Legally, pharmacy owners are contractually obliged by the NHS to be open at fixed hours each week.

Withdrawing their labour, similar to the series of strikes held by NHS workers, would likely constitute a breach of their contract.

The NPA added: ‘We would be reluctant to support any action that harms patient care, but we understand the level of anger that has led to calls for strike action.’

June 20 was specifically chosen as it represents the day when the average pharmacy in Britain begins trading at a loss due to its obligations to the healthcare system.

‘Normally there is only enough NHS funding to cover costs for the first three weeks of a month – after which the pharmacy service is effectively subsidized by the company,’ the NPA added.

The latest official figures show that just 11,414 community pharmacies now offer crucial NHS services such as blood pressure tests and weight checks – the fewest since records began.

Nearly 400 closed their doors in 2022/2023 alone.

But more recent data from NHS England suggests the number of community pharmacies may be as few as 10,506 by April 30, 2024.

Boots has closed branches en masse in recent months, while LloydsPharmacy has closed its doors completely.

Pharmacy bodies claim the sector is also struggling due to rising drug prices and costs, staff shortages and ailing GP services.

They claim that pharmacies have been hit with a 30 percent budget cut since 2015, leading to more than 1,400 closures.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: ‘Funding for community pharmacies has come under pressure over the past decade and as a result it is now a sector in very real need.

He added: ‘It is also the case that the current drug shortage crisis is partly driven by the funding gap.

‘Pharmacy teams are finding it increasingly difficult to deliver excellent patient care – and pharmacy teams themselves are suffering from increasing stress and demoralisation.

‘Now that the elections are in full swing, it is very important that politicians understand the message: that there is now an emergency in our public pharmacy sector.’

It comes as the Conservatives this week proposed expanding the Pharmacy First program if they are re-elected.

Under the plan, patients can turn to pharmacists for common conditions such as sinusitis, infected insect bites and shingles.

The expansion would allow pharmacies to offer contraceptive patches and injections, as well as treatments for other conditions, such as acne and respiratory infections.

However, the plan, which only started in January, is not without criticism.

Some experts have labeled it ‘risky’ and warned that thousands of patients would inevitably benefit more from ‘the expertise’ of a doctor, rather than just relying on a pharmacist.

GPs have also said that processing patient record updates from pharmacies will only add to their bureaucratic workload rather than save time.

After the Tories’ announcement this week, Mr Rees said urged caution over proposals to extend their NHS duties, warning that pharmacies are ‘just hanging on’.

He said: ‘It’s good news that Rishi Sunak sees a bigger role for pharmacies.

‘Giving an increasing role to community pharmacies is a clear, affordable way to reduce waiting times for GPs and hospitals and provide convenient, expert care to people on their doorstep.

‘These kinds of ideas must be adopted by whoever forms the next government.

‘But the fact is that community pharmacies are chronically underfunded and currently have to subsidize even basic NHS medicines because they are not even properly funded for the medicines they provide.’

‘Hundreds of pharmacies have closed and are currently being forced into bankruptcy, at the rate of ten per week. Those that remain open are just clinging on.”