Tollesbury pharmacist fears businesses will close due to pressures

Dimple Bhatia, pictured with MP Priti Patel, feared more pharmacies would close if they were not supported

A pharmacist said he had "never known a situation so bad" as he battled soaring overheads and less funding.

Dimple Bhatia, who has run Tollesbury Pharmacy, in Maldon, for 15 years, warned more businesses would not survive the mounting pressures.

NHS data showed 21 pharmacies closed their doors in Essex between September 2016 and November 2023.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it would provide £645m to the sector in additional funding.

Twenty one pharmacies have closed in Essex between September 2016 and November 2023

Mr Bhatia said 90% of his revenue came from the NHS, but while its funding for prescription medicines was falling, the prices he could dispense at were fixed.

The pharmacist, who said he dealt with in excess of 400 prescriptions a day, called on the government to help save venues like his.

"I have never known a situation so bad in the 27 years I've been working as a pharmacist," he told BBC Essex.

"The way things are going, if they don't change, then we are under a lot of pressure."

"It's hitting the big operators. It's only so long before smaller pharmacies are going to feel the pinch and say 'enough is enough, we can't physically survive'."

Mr Bhatia said if he closed down there would be a "tremendous" impact on the community he served, with the nearest alternative pharmacy located six miles away.

"The government needs to recognise that pharmacies provide a pivotal and valuable service. They need to back that up with a cash injection," he added.

'Vital role'

Last year the government launched the Pharmacy First scheme, which allowed pharmacists to supply some prescription medication without the need to visit a GP.

It claimed the initiative would ease pressure on doctors.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said it would provide "thousands more training places for pharmacists" and had announced £645m in funding to support community pharmacies.

The spokesman added that pharmacists "play a vital role in our healthcare system".