More than two thirds of pharmacies say they will be forced to shut within a year without more government cash

25 March 2025, 05:34 | Updated: 25 March 2025, 09:19

Over two-thirds of community pharmacies say they won’t be open in 12 months if no significant funding increases are announced by the government.

Exclusive LBC polling has found that over 4,000 pharmacies represented by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) could vanish within a year - 68% of the total.

70% of polled members also say that they will be forced to cut their opening hours because of increases in National Insurance and National Living Wage.

81% say the increases would force them to make staff members redundant and 85% say the increases would force them to cut back on other health services delivered in their pharmacy.

Akash Patel has been running his family pharmacy in Shepperton, Surrey for over seven years, but he's told LBC that he thinks he will be left with no choice but to sell the business if there is no significant increase in funding.

He says that he is having to provide more services, but with no increase in resources, and often has to cover the cost of medicines himself.

He has also calculated that he will be hit by £10,000 of additional costs when the National Insurance, the National Living Wage and business rates all go up.

'It's quite devastating because my family has invested a lot into this business, and my own future is at stake. It's very grim at the moment'.

Akash said it's not just his family who will suffer but his patients too.

"Shepperton has an elderly population with a lot of mobility issues," he said.

"Without the pharmacy, patients will have to take public transport... And some of them won't get their vital medication like epilepsy. A lot of patients are really upset... It really will cause dire consequences".

This comes after the NPA has advised its members to reduce opening hours and services from April 1 if no sufficient funding is delivered.

The NPA says this is to protect patients as a combination of an increase in taxes and a decade of real terms cuts may jeopardise patient safety if a resolution is not found.

The chair of the NPA, Nick Kaye, told LBC: "It’s the most heartbreaking thing when you hear members who have put in generations of work, serving their communities for over 50 years, genuinely in this point of absolute despair".

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He says he welcomes the fact that the government is currently in negotiations with Community Pharmacy England, but that they are now only weeks away from a new financial year without a contract or any sight of when it might be coming.

Mr Kaye said: "This is the first time in the National Pharmacy Association’s 104 year history that we have ever talked about this type of stuff.

"Pharmacists as a profession aren’t naturally rebellious, we want to get on with serving our patients in the community… it is one of the hardest things we have had to go through".

Pharmacy First, which was introduced in January last year, is intended to help alleviate pressures on GPs by referring patients into community pharmacy for minor illnesses or an urgent repeat medicine supply.

However, many pharmacies say this policy is unmanageable without more funding to prop it up, and Mr Kaye said that this policy is like "the perfect icing on top of a crumbling cake"

If every NPA member stopped working beyond their 40 contracted hours per week, it could result in a million hours of pharmacy time lost across a year.

The union has previously called for community pharmacies to receive 2.3-2.5% of the NHS annual budget, as was the case a decade ago, but in recent years funding has dropped to 1.6%.

Pharmacists say this has caused a real strain on their businesses, particularly as 90% of community pharmacy income comes from NHS funding.

The government said in response that “community pharmacy has a vital role to play as we shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community, through our Plan for Change.   

“We are currently engaging with the sector on a settlement that will start to make it fit for the future and able to provide the services that will benefit patients and the communities that they serve.

“The National Pharmacy Association’s pre-emptive action will cause unnecessary disruption for patients and we urge them to reconsider.”