Britons left in 'pharmacy deserts' as record number of chemists close
The number of pharmacies in the country has dropped to its lowest level in almost twenty years - thousands of chemists say they are being pushed to the brink.
Increasing numbers of Britons are living in ‘pharmacy deserts’ experts warn as new research shows one in five adults has seen their local chemist close in the last 12 months.
The number of pharmacies in the country has dropped by 1,500 in the past ten years to 10,090 - its lowest level in almost twenty years.
The National Pharmacy Association - NPA - is calling on the new government to resolve the funding crisis they say is pushing thousands of chemists to the brink, with 10 closing a week so far this year.
Research by the NPA shows since 2015 two thirds of pharmacies in England - 63 per cent - have cut their opening hours due to financial constraints. And on average there has been a 6.1 hour reduction - 10 per cent - in opening hours for every pharmacy.
It is warning pharmacy closures will ‘pile pressure on GP surgeries’ as Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned this month the GP system was ‘on the brink of collapse’.
NPA polling also found 18 percent of people reported that at least one local pharmacy had shut in the last 12 months, with 6 per cent reporting that more than one had closed locally. It showed 13 percent of people reported that their local pharmacy had cut their opening hours over the last 12 months.
Chemists, whose work is over 90 per cent supported by the NHS, have seen their funding reduced by 40 per cent in real terms since 2015.
At the same time costs of dispensing drugs have been rising. The NPA is calling on the incoming government to commit to addressing the funding crisis that it says has pushed community pharmacies to the brink.
Paul Rees, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said: "It's clear rising levels of closures are leaving some areas of the country as pharmacy deserts, with people having to travel much further to get access to vital services.
"Community pharmacies act as the front door to the NHS. If people lose access to them, it will force more patients into the 8 o'clock scramble at their GP surgery, putting pressure on the rest of our NHS system."
He added: “1.6 m people a day visit their pharmacy but they are closing at a record rate, and millions of people are seeing the effect of that in their communities.
“We must do all we can to address the continuing crisis engulfing pharmacies, which is forcing alarming numbers to close or reduce their opening hours, as this polling reveals.
“It is also, in part, driving the current medicines shortages crisis."
The largest number of people per pharmacy is in the South-East with 6,024, followed by the East of England with 5,327. The South-West is next with 5,284 people per pharmacy followed by the Midlands with 4,975.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson, said: “Pharmacies have been neglected for years, with hundreds closed and patients paying the price.
“We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilise the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians including by cutting red tape.”
