The number of pharmacies is at its lowest level in almost 20 years, with seven closing a week so far this year, industry leaders warn.
More than 1,500 have closed in England since 2015, leaving just 10,054 open, according to an analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
At this rate, the number could fall below 10,000 for the first time since 2005, when there were 9,872, he added.
The workload has increased dramatically in recent decades: community pharmacies now dispense 56 percent more prescriptions than in 2006.
Local pharmacies are under threat due to increased workload and the rise of online pharmacies
But the trade body warns that the rising cost of medicines combined with a 40 per cent cut to budgets is leaving many unviable.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is being urged to do more to help stop closures and cuts to opening hours.
Paul Rees, chief executive of the NPA, said: ‘In 2005 YouTube was launched, McFly hit number one in the charts and George W Bush took up his second term as US president.
‘Now is not the time to allow a vital part of local NHS services to deteriorate to levels not seen since the dawn of social media.
‘This is a vital opportunity to stop the lockdowns and invest in community pharmacies, which provide prescriptions, clinical services and healthcare support to neighbourhoods across the country.
‘Preventing the continued collapse of community pharmacies will help reduce waiting times for GPs, provide better immediate care for patients and keep the gateway to the NHS open.’
The government said that pharmacies have been “abandoned” for years
A separate analysis of pharmacy opening hours by the NPA found that 63 per cent of pharmacies had reduced their opening hours since 2015, and only 2.5 per cent had increased their hours in the same period.
In 2015, pharmacies were open an average of 54.2 hours a week, compared with 48.1 hours in 2024, according to the NPA.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘This Government inherited a broken NHS and pharmacies have been neglected for years.
‘We are closely monitoring the closures.
‘Pharmacies are key to our plans to make healthcare fit for the future as we shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to the community.
‘We will expand the role of pharmacies, making better use of pharmacists’ skills, including accelerating the implementation of independent prescribing.
