Impact of 800 pharmacy closures can 'ruin lives'

Deborah says her regular pharmacy cannot always get all her medication and she has to travel to branches around Gloucestershire

Nearly 800 pharmacies have permanently closed in England over the last four years, according to latest NHS figures. Pharmacists blame NHS funding, which they say has not risen in real terms in a decade.

The government has said it will look at the issue "in due course", but in the meantime people living in rural areas or those with an older population are often hardest-hit.

"It can ruin your life," Deborah, 63, from Gloucestershire, said.

Deborah has a gastro-intestinal condition and requires regular medication to manage her symptoms.

But she said while she has a local pharmacy nearby, it often cannot get all her medicines, forcing her to travel to one further away.

The fact there are now fewer pharmacies to chose from makes the job even harder.

"Within 24 to 48 hours [of not having medication], I will not be able to leave my house," she said.

"It affects what I can eat, so it has a huge impact on mobility, which then stretches out to the rest of my life.

"I can't see people. I can't go places. I have to cancel appointments."

Deborah said problems with getting her medication have caused her anxiety and depression

Deborah said that "every time" she has ordered medication in the last six months to a year, "there has been a problem".

"It's quite a long process of phone calls and waiting and journeys and travel," she said.

"I'm on a very low income and having to do extra trips to get my medication in the car that I can only just afford to run, really impacts my life hugely."

The stress and uncertainty of having to chase after her medication has also affected her mental health.

"It can ruin your life, your ability to function, your ability to interact with the outside world," she said.

Deborah said she wanted to speak out to let people know what they can do if their local pharmacy cannot get all the medication they need.

"You can request a paper prescription and that can be taken physically to any number of pharmacies until you find one that actually has the the things you need," she said.

Amesbury business owner Jeff Coy said he often does not have time to wait in long queues to collect prescriptions

Business owner in Amesbury, Wiltshire, Jeff Coy, 64, said the pressure on the remaining pharmacies there forced him to turn to an online pharmacy a few years ago.

"I've no disrespect to the staff [at the pharmacies] because I think they do a fantastic job. But they've got a small location that can't cope with the demand," he said.

He said there were "constant queues" and he worries that now we are in winter, some people will not want to wait outside in the cold.

NHS figures show there was a loss of 752 pharmacies in England between January 2021 and the end of November 2024 – a drop of 6.7%

There are now 10,454 pharmacy branches in England, including distance sellers. That is down from 11,206 at the start of 2021.

In 2021, figures for across England show that 58 pharmacies closed, with 81 shutting down in 2022, 394 in 2023 and 219 this year.

The figures were published by the NHS Business Services Authority, although different parts of the NHS present different statistics on closures.

'Pharmacy deserts'

Separate data from patient advocacy group, Healthwatch, found 436 pharmacies closed during 2023 alone. They discovered higher rates for both temporary and permanent closures in areas that were primarily rural and had older populations.

Their figures show five branches closed in Gloucestershire in 2023, with four shutting in Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire, and another four in Somerset.

In comparison, 74 closed in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

But, the National Pharmacy Association has argued rural areas are at risk of becoming 'pharmacy deserts', if the current rate of closures continues.

Why are pharmacies struggling?

Pharmacist Haseeb Malik runs dispensaries across Gloucestershire

The two biggest high street chemists, LloydsPharmacy and Boots, have closed hundreds of branches across the country since 2023 - accounting for the spike in figures in 2023.

Lloyds filed for liquidation earlier this year, selling all of its 1,054 branches.

In many cases, independent pharmacies have stepped in.

Haseeb Malik runs the Forest Pharmacy in Lydney, Gloucestershire, a former LloydsPharmacy branch.

He said: "The main challenges pharmacies are facing are funding cuts as well as staff shortages and just general difficulties in getting medication.

"For most pharmacies, 90% of their pay comes from the NHS and for that reason, if that has not been changed, and it hasn't for the last 10 years, that is quite an issue".

The lack of funding can then make it challenging for pharmacists to stock medicines, especially when their prices rise.

Councillor Monica Devendran said some residents have struggled to get access to emergency medication because of the pressures on local pharmacies

But in some places, it is not just pharmacies closing that is causing difficulties.

It is also down to changing demographics and the pressure that puts on the remaining branches.

Campaigners in the Wiltshire town of Amesbury said that the two existing pharmacies in the town are no longer able to meet the demands of its growing population.

Dr Monica Devendran represents Amesbury West on Wiltshire Council and is also the town's deputy mayor.

She said: "I hear feedback and representations from residents on a day-to-day basis about the difficulties they face, and the current pharmacies are too small for them.

"Amesbury has grown in size. Large developments have come up in King's Gate and Archer's Gate. New houses have been built.

"Residents complain about the waiting period, waits in queues for prolonged periods of time, and some of them have told me about a lack of medication available."

Members of the National Pharmacy Association have recently voted in favour of collective action in protest at levels of funding

The Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board turned down an application for a new pharmacy earlier this year, a decision which has been appealed.

It said it will be reviewing the town's pharmaceutical needs again in the new year "to ensure the next assessment accurately reflects the needs of people living and working in Amesbury".

What could change?

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents independent community pharmacies, said there has been a 40% cut to community pharmacy budgets in real terms since the last decade.

Last month, members of the NPA voted in favour of collective action for the first time in its history, and urged the government to offer an 'urgent uplift' of pharmacy funding.

Members also voted in favour of a motion to cut opening hours saying pharmacy owners “cannot guarantee community pharmacy services will remain safe into the future if the current depressed funding, pharmacy closures and increasing workload continues”.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Community pharmacy been neglected for years, but it has a vital role to play in the shift of care from hospital to community as we reform the health service through our 10 Year Health Plan.

"At the Budget, we announced a £26bn boost for the NHS and social care. We are committed to working with the pharmacy sector and we will set out further details on allocation of funding for next year in due course.”

Additional reporting by Miguel Roca-Terry and Jonathan Fagg