The closure of hundreds of pharmacies has further increased pressure on struggling GP practices, industry bosses warned today.
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP) said more than 400 community pharmacies across England closed between 2019 and 2023. This covers chains such as Boots.
And he warned of a “tsunami of new pharmacy closures across the country” due to pressures on the system.
Demanding urgent change, the AIMP called on the government to “properly fund” its flagship Pharmacy First program.
The latest data from the NHS Business Services Authority published in October shows there were just 11,414 community pharmacies remaining in the 2022/23 financial year. While the number of premises closures has consistently exceeded the number of openings, 2022/23 marked the lowest level recorded since 2015, laying bare the demise of primary care in England.
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Under the scheme, patients suffering from seven common conditions, including sinusitis, earaches and impetigo, are encouraged to seek help from a pharmacist rather than their GP.
But the association says the community pharmacy sector already faces a £1.2 billion funding shortfall.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the AIMP, said: “Our new analysis clearly shows that the loss of community pharmacies is putting even greater pressure on struggling GP practices.
“Our community pharmacy teams are working heroically to help their patients, but the odds are against them.
“Every day I hear about pharmacists who are working excessive hours, losing money, falling into debt and being wracked by financial worries, not knowing if they will be able to keep their doors open.
As part of NHS plans to free up millions of appointments with family doctors, pharmacists can now dispense birth control pills to women. Street pharmacists also have the power to issue prescriptions for common ailments, meaning patients struggling with minor illnesses can bypass their GP. As part of broader plans, pharmacists are also offering more blood pressure checks to at-risk patients, with a commitment to carry out 2.5 million per year by spring 2025.
Boots has closed branches en masse in recent months, while LloydsPharmacy has closed its doors completely. Pictured: A Lloyds Pharmacy store in Bracknell, Berkshire
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“Some have to turn to family and friends for financial help to keep going.
“We want to be part of the solution to many of the problems facing the NHS, but chronic underfunding, medicine supply problems and a dysfunctional reimbursement system have created a perfect storm of pharmacy closures.”
Dr. Hannbeck added: “If we continue on this path, we risk creating a tsunami of new pharmacy closures across the country. »
She warned that “to realize the full potential of pharmacy and reduce pressure on GPs, ministers must commit billions more to the Pharmacy First initiative”.
This would “address the rotten contract that is infecting our sector, leaving many pharmacists struggling as closures multiply,” she said.
Dr Hannbeck added: “The consequences of a series of further closures would be devastating.
“That’s why today we are launching our new Fight4Pharmacies campaign to call on the Government to invest in community pharmacies and work with us to repair our broken contract.
Major pharmacy chains Boots and LloydsPharmacy have closed their branches en masse in recent months.
Last June, LloydsPharmacy closed all of its 237 branches located within Sainsbury’s, and Boots announced the closure of 300 of its 2,200 stores across Britain.
Industry executives say closing pharmacies is forcing patients to take longer journeys to get life-saving treatment or risk “missing out.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said it “does not recognise” the AIMP funding gap figure.
A spokesperson added: “We have made up to £645 million of new funding available to support the expansion of community pharmacy services, in addition to the £2 billion that pharmacies already receive each year. year.
“Pharmacy First will free up 10 million GP appointments per year. It has been widely welcomed by the pharmaceutical sector and so far, 98 percent of pharmacies have signed up to offer it.
“Four out of five people live less than 20 minutes walk from a pharmacy and there are twice as many pharmacies in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which makes access to care faster and more convenient.”