'Pharmacy sector is on life support'
Leeds pharmacist Ashley Cohen says the sector needs an "urgent injection of cash" as it is on the "brink of collapse"
- Published
When Ashley Cohen set up his Leeds pharmacy in 2006, he thought going to work was a pleasure.
He could "concentrate on servicing and looking after" patients in his communities of Seacroft and Halton.
But over the last decade, the funding community pharmacies receive from the government has reduced.
Mr Cohen says this has made every year "harder and harder" - and dispending drugs is now "loss making".
He believes the situation is critical and the sector is on "life support", warning that - without urgent intervention this side of Christmas - it will be on "end-of-life care".
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) says core government funding for community pharmacies in England has fallen by 40% after adjusting for inflation since 2015/16.
Work to rule
The NPA has backed a "work to rule ballot", which means many pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland could cut their opening hours unless an "uplift for pharmacy funding" is agreed with the government.
Mr Cohen, who runs a chain of pharmacies under the name of Pharm-Assist (Healthcare) Ltd, says he has seen costs and overheads rise in the last decade, citing a rise in the national living wage and employer National Insurance contributions which he is having to absorb.
In addition he says government funding is not covering the cost of the prescriptions patients need, meaning dispensing drugs is loss making for his pharmacies.
He gives the example of medication for blood pressure, which costs him £4.50 for a patient prescription for a month, but the government is only reimbursing this at £3.
This he says is repeated for "many more" medications.
He does not think the situation is sustainable as he says he is "supplying drugs budget out of my own pocket to the government and that's what's making it hard".
His overall concern is his responsibility to his staff and the local community.
He describes himself as a healthcare professional who wants to spend his "time and energy in trying to prevent illness and do everything the government want us to do in terms of treating illness and making people better".
He adds: "But my time is being spent on asking, 'have we got enough money to pay the bills in 30, 60, 90 days?'."
Trainee Roshni Landa is concerned about her future career if pharmacies close
The pharmacy owner is not the only one with questions about the future.
Roshni Landa is a trainee pharmacist and has been on placement since July 2024 at the firm's Halton branch.
Ms Landa is enjoying her placement and said it is "really good to see a diverse set of patients, from all sorts of backgrounds with all sorts of ailments and being able to help".
Patients have told her they are concerned after another local pharmacy closed.
They are now worried the branch she is working in could close as well.
Having just graduated from university, she is worried about her future career.
Ms Landa says: "Will I be able to find a job?
"Where am I supposed to go now if pharmacies close, will I be able to continue my career?
"So it is stressful from that point of view as well."
'Extremely valuable'
Patients using the pharmacy have shared their concerns about what would happen if the facilities closed.
Katherine Sulley questions what people would do without the "extremely valuable" services.
She says lots of retired people like her rely on them and asks: "Where else would you get your prescriptions?"
She thinks if pharmacies are losing money and in danger of closing, the government "are going to have to step in".
Retired nurse Beverley Grant relies on her local pharmacy and thinks it would have a "vast impact on people" if it closes.
As a nurse of 44 years, she also recognises the role they play in supporting the wider NHS.
She says: "If people haven't got local pharmacies and it's hard to get into GP practices for appointments it would have a big impact on the NHS as well so it is valuable to keep practices like this open."
Dispensing prescription drugs is now "loss making" for community pharmacies, Ashley Cohen says
The Department of Health and Social Care said community pharmacy had a "vital role to play" as the government moved the focus of care from hospital to the community as part of its 10 Year Health Plan.
A spokesperson said: "Unfortunately, we inherited a system that has been neglected for too long and is no longer supporting the pharmacists we need to deliver for patients at a local level.
“We are committed to working with the sector and would encourage all pharmacists to work with us to achieve what we all want – a service fit for the future.”
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here, external.