1 month ago
The closure of hundreds of pharmacies has piled moreover much unit connected ailing GP practices, manufacture bosses warned today.
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP) stated much than 400 organization pharmacies crossed England closed betwixt 2019 and 2023. This covers chains specified arsenic Boots.
And it warned of a 'tsunami of further drugstore closures crossed nan country' owed to pressures successful nan system.
Demanding urgent an change, AIMP called connected nan Government to 'properly fund' its flagship Pharmacy First scheme.
Latest NHS Business Services Authority information published successful October shows conscionable 11,414 organization pharmacies remained successful nan 2022/23 financial year. While nan number of premises closing has consistently outpaced those opening, 2022/23 marked nan lowest level recorded since 2015, laying bare nan demise of superior attraction successful England
Under nan programme, patients pinch 7 communal conditions, including sinusitis, earache and impetigo, are encouraged to activity thief from a chemist alternatively of their GP.
But nan relation claims nan organization drugstore assemblage is already facing a £1.2bn shortfall successful funding.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, main executive of AIMP, said: 'Our caller study intelligibly shows that nan nonaccomplishment of organization pharmacies results successful moreover much unit piling up connected hard-pressed GP surgeries.
'Our organization drugstore teams are moving heroically to thief their patients, but nan likelihood are stacked against them.
'Every time I perceive of pharmacists moving excessive hours, losing money, falling into indebtedness and being wracked by financial worries, uncertain if they will beryllium capable to support nan doors open.
Under NHS plans to free up millions of appointments pinch family doctors, chemists tin now crockery retired contraceptive pills to women. High thoroughfare pharmacists besides person powers to manus retired prescriptions for communal ailments, meaning patients battling insignificant illnesses tin bypass their GP. Under wider plans, pharmacists are besides offering much humor unit checks to at-risk patients, pinch a committedness to present 2.5 cardinal a twelvemonth by outpouring 2025
Boots person closed branches en masse successful caller months, while LloydsPharmacy has unopen its doors completely. PIctured: a Lloyds Pharmacy shop successful Bracknell, Berkshire
'Some are having to move to family and friends for financial thief to support going.
'We want to beryllium portion of nan solution to galore of nan issues facing nan NHS, but chronic underfunding, medicine proviso challenges and a dysfunctional reimbursement strategy person created nan cleanable large wind of drugstore closures.'
Dr Hannbeck added: 'If we proceed down this path, we consequence creating a tsunami of further drugstore closures crossed nan country.'
She warned that 'to realise nan afloat imaginable of drugstore and trim unit connected GPs' ministers request to walk billions much connected nan Pharmacy First initiative.
This would 'address nan rotten statement which is infecting our sector, leaving galore pharmacists struggling arsenic closures spread', she said.
Dr Hannbeck added: 'The consequences of a raft of further closures would beryllium devastating.
'This is why coming we are launching our caller Fight4Pharmacies run to telephone connected nan Government to put successful organization drugstore and activity pinch america to mend our surgery contract.'
Large drugstore chains Boots and LloydsPharmacy person closed branches en masse successful caller months.
Last June, LloydsPharmacy closed each of its 237 branches located wrong Sainsbury's, and Boots announced nan closure of 300 of its 2,200 stores crossed Britain.
Industry leaders opportunity nan closure of pharmacies mean patients are forced into making longer journeys for captious curen aliases 'miss retired each together'.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it 'does not recognise' nan AIMP's backing shortfall figure.
A spokesperson added: 'We person made up to £645million of caller backing disposable to support nan description of organization drugstore services, which comes connected apical of nan £2billion pharmacies already person per year.
'Pharmacy First will free up an anticipated 10million GP appointments a year. It has been wide welcomed by nan drugstore assemblage and truthful far, 98 per cent of pharmacies person signed up to present it.
'Four successful 5 group unrecorded wrong a 20-minute locomotion of a drugstore and location are doubly arsenic galore pharmacies successful deprived areas, making entree to attraction quicker and much convenient.'
