Survey says 63% of pharmacies facing closure

94% of pharmacies said the latest funding settlement did not bring stability

Up to 63% of pharmacies could close in the next year without further support. according to a new survey.

Research by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Community Pharmacy England (CPE) found four in 10 were unable to pay in full for the cost of prescription medication for patients.

Graham Jones, a pharmacist in Lambourn, Berkshire, said the county had the highest number of closures in the country.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was "working to turn around a decade of underfunding and neglect".

Pharmacy leaders have warned that pharmacies in England are still "teetering on the brink" despite an uplift in their funding announced earlier this year.

About 90% of an average pharmacy's funding is provided by the NHS, which is supposed to cover the cost of core services such as dispensing prescription medication and running vaccination campaigns but this has historically been cut.

Pharmacist Graham Jones (left) helping a customer in Lambourn

Mr Jones said: "There has been quite a number of pharmacy closures in West Berkshire.

"We have had the highest number of closures in the country, that's on top of the fact that we've got the lowest level of pharmacy coverage."

He explained that there had been no income uplift since 2018.

"That is a one-third cut in our funding, so it's made pharmacy a very difficult thing to operate," he said.

"We've seen pharmacies across the country close because of that and we are losing pharmacies at the rate of 10 a month."

Pharmacy leaders are calling on the government to increase core funding

Ashley Cohen, pharmacist and board member of trade body the National Pharmacy Association, said: "The report that came out highlights the difficult situation that we are in.

"It's a decade of underfunding, every community pharmacy has been clinging on by their fingernails over the last few months and it's very, very difficult.

"Over the last 10 years there has been a reduction in inflation increases for healthcare professionals.

"Our sector and our professionals had funding cuts eight years ago, followed by six years of zero.

"That zero lasted through the pandemic and through hyperinflation and cost of living.

"We have been really on a knife edge for many, many years.

"We need to invest in the pharmacies now, or pay the price later, that's the real choice that we've got at the moment."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This year we increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion - representing the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS for 2025/2026 - providing patients with more services closer to home and freeing up GP appointments."