More pharmacies will close this winter if ‘left to collapse’ by Labour

One in three community pharmacy owners fear their businesses may not survive this winter without urgent Government intervention, sector leaders have declared.

Patients are being warned to expect longer waiting times, reduced opening hours and cuts to services due to a funding crisis which is only set to worsen after Labour’s Budget.

A survey for Community Pharmacy England of 358 pharmacy owners representing more than 3,500 stores found 96% were worried about their businesses this winter.

Some 39% said they were “very concerned” that they may not survive the season, while 70% feared patient safety would be at risk.

Anil Sharma, a community pharmacy owner in the East of England, said his team was “burnt out, stressed, and worried about how we’ll cope with ever increasing demand”.

He added: “Patients rely on us, yet every day the service we are able to offer is deteriorating, whether it’s medicines we are unable to source, or waiting times because the team are so overloaded.

“We need urgent support to be able to keep helping our patients in the way that we want to.”

Community Pharmacy England said the sector was battling for survival after a real terms funding cut of 30% since 2015. At the same time, demand is rising as pharmacies offer more services and ageing patients increasingly need multiple medications.

The organisation’s chief executive, Janet Morrison, said: “Community pharmacies simply will not withstand another season of winter pressures, and if they are left to collapse, the impact on businesses and their staff, on patients, on the wider NHS, and ultimately on the nation’s health, will be unthinkable.

“Years of underfunding, with cuts of 30% in real terms, have left community pharmacies battling for survival.

“They will continue to do everything they can to stay open and serve their patients, and they still have big ambitions to do even more to help people and the NHS in the future, but pharmacies now need urgent support.”

Analysis by the National Pharmacy Association earlier this year found that around 10 chemists were closing their doors for good each week in 2024.

And it has warned that increases to employers’ National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage announced in the recent Budget could push more over a cliff edge.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: “This survey shows the increasing desperation of pharmacies, many of which are clinging on with their fingertips in the face of chronic underfunding.

“Hundreds and hundreds of pharmacies have closed. The threat to our vital pharmacy network is very real and we need Ministers to release funding to halt the closure crisis and put pharmacies on a stable footing so they can get on with the job of supporting their communities and delivering great care in their local areas.”

Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said many of her members were “nearing the point of no return”.

She added: “Many pharmacies are so busy this Christmas taking pressure off the NHS helping with winter illnesses and supplying medicines during the busy holiday season to ensure patients are looked after, but they are very worried that they may not be here next year.

“Despite raising the alarm for over a year, the financial pressure on our community pharmacies has only intensified and the government is delaying the negotiations.

“Our contract expired in March and no deal has been forthcoming. It is astounding that we now face a situation where we have a funding shortfall of £1.7 billion in addition to the extra costs created by the rise in employer NI and minimum wage.”