Pharmacy closures in England threaten plan to use them instead of GPs for some care

Pharmacies are closing at such an alarming rate it is jeopardising the desire of many people to provide care for millions of people, the NHS patient advocate warned today.

Last year, a total of 436 pharmacies in England closed permanently, with 13,863 temporary closures, leaving patients without access to medical advice and medication.

According to Healthwatch England, the trend towards permanent closures appears to be increasing, with rural areas, home to many elderly and deprived communities, being hit hardest.

The findings, based on figures from NHS bodies, raised fears the closures are turning some parts of England into “pharmacy deserts” where patients struggle to access care.

The watchdog received responses to requests for disclosure of information from all 42 NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), regional bodies that order and pay for NHS services.

They showed that between January 1 and December 31, 2023, 436 pharmacies closed – an average of more than one per day. In addition, pharmacies also closed temporarily 13,863 times, for a total of 46,823 hours and an average of almost 18 hours each time in some places, the ICB data showed.

“Staff shortages, the main reason for permanent and temporary closures, are calling into question the potential of Pharmacy First, meaning people cannot get the advice, care and medicines they need, when they need them,” said Louise Ansari, CEO of Healthwatch.

Pharmacy First is a government initiative to relieve the pressure on overworked GPs by deploying pharmacists who will hopefully treat millions of patients a year with seven minor ailments, such as a sore throat, earache, an infected insect bite or a sinus infection.

“It is clear that the increasing number of closures could lead to some parts of the country being neglected by pharmacies, forcing people to travel much further to access essential services,” said Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association.

“Community pharmacies act as the front door to the NHS. If people lose access to these pharmacies, it will force more patients to go to their GP at 8pm, putting pressure on the rest of our NHS system.”

Responses from ICBs show that staff shortages, including the difficulty of finding locum pharmacists, are the cause of many of the temporary closures, Healthwatch said.

Temporary closures “contribute to the deepening crisis in the sector”. It also acknowledged long-standing complaints from pharmacy organisations that the lack of government funding is hampering their activities, asking ministers to “evaluate” the money the sector receives.

Healthwatch’s findings show that:

• Cheshire and Merseyside ICB saw the most permanent closures last year – 51

• The ICB in North East and North Cumbria had the highest number of temporary closures – 1,438

• The same area also saw the highest number of hours lost due to temporary closures: 4,054

• And pharmacies in the Norfolk and Waveney ICB area are temporarily closing for the longest number of hours on average – 17.48

The Department of Health and Social Care has said it plans to review funding for a sector that has been “neglected for years” under the Conservatives.

“This government has inherited a broken NHS, where pharmacies have been neglected for years,” a spokesman said.

“Pharmacies have a key role to play in future-proofing healthcare as we shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community.

“We will make better use of their skills by increasing the number of pharmacists who can prescribe medicines themselves and initiating a review of the financing of community pharmacies.”