'I can't keep running my pharmacy from my savings'

Marie Goldman and Dipak Pau standing outside the Great Baddow pharmacy

A pharmacist says he is having to use his own savings to keep his business afloat due to the rising cost of medications.

Dipak Pau, 64, from the Pillbox Pharmacy in Great Baddow, Essex, says his NHS contract no longer covers the cost of the drugs he has to dispense, which has left him using his own money.

"There are so many medicines that we are dispensing at a loss, I personally have had to put in family money to keep the business going," he said.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said: "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 10 Year Health Plan."

A number of pharmacies in the region have said they are struggling because they are not being fully reimbursed for the medication they dispense.

Almost 800 pharmacies have permanently closed in England over the last four years according to NHS figures.

Hundreds of pharmacies have shut in England in the last four years

Many pharmacists blame NHS funding, which they say has not risen in real terms in a decade.

The NHS does not match the increasing prices that the pharmacy has to pay, Mr Pau added, which means his business covers the rest of the cost - without reimbursement.

Marie Goldman, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, raised Mr Pau's plight at PMQs and called on the government to change how the NHS reimburses independent pharmacies.

In parliament, she said: "Dipak has sometimes been forced to pay over 100 times more for a particular mental health drug than his contact providers, to keep his pharmacy afloat."

While talking to the BBC, Mr Pau said: "We're independent businesses as well as healthcare providers - we take our responsibility seriously but can't afford to dispense at such a loss."

Mr Pau said the pharmacy used to stock an anti-psychotic drug which used to cost a "few pounds" - but now costs £170.

Mr Pau founded his pharmacy in 1991 in Great Baddow

Mr Pau qualified in the industry in 1986 and founded his pharmacy in 1991.

"If we don't supply medicines then people will end up in worse situations," he said.

"Another medicine I fought tooth and nail for and agreed on price, changed. The NHS paid us £36 but the price we paid was more than £70.

"We carried on dispensing and closing our eyes to the fact that the NHS are not paying us a fair price because this impacts patients in a phenomenal way."

He said he had started seeing regular prescriptions from Romford, South Woodham and even someone from Manchester who needed ADHD medication.

The DHSC spokesperson added: "Unfortunately, we inherited a system that has been neglected for too long and isn't supporting the pharmacists we need to deliver for patients at a local level."

The NHS has been approached for comment.