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The vast majority of pharmacy owners have said that they are worried about the impact of financial pressures on their businesses this winter, with 70% saying they are concerned that patient safety may be affected.
Results of Community Pharmacy England’s (CPE) winter pressures poll of 358 pharmacy owners, published on 19 December 2024, revealed that 96% of pharmacy owners are worried about their businesses, while 39% are concerned that their businesses may not survive the winter months.
The poll, which was conducted between October and November 2024, also revealed that 81% of owners expect longer waiting times for patients; 73% expect a reduction in the availability of services; and 33% expect to have to reduce their opening hours.
Local pharmacy leaders were also polled at the Annual Conference of Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) on 21 November 2024. Of the 55 LPC leaders who responded, 73% said they were ‘extremely concerned’ about the ability of pharmacies in their area to continue serving patients this winter, with a further 24% said they were ‘concerned’.
Of the LPC survey respondents, 69% said they believed this would have a serious impact on patients, while 67% expect to see pharmacies reducing their opening hours, 58% expect longer waiting times for patients and 36% anticipate a reduction in the availability of pharmacy services.
Almost one-third of LPC respondents (31%) said they expected pharmacies to stop medicines deliveries this winter, while 20% said they expected pharmacies to stop providing Pharmacy First.
Without remedial action, 60% of LPC leaders said they expect to see more permanent closures of pharmacies in their area this winter.
Commenting on the poll results, Janet Morrison, chief executive of CPE, said: “Community pharmacies simply will not withstand another season of winter pressures and, if they are left to collapse, the impact on businesses and their staff, on patients, on the wider NHS and ultimately on the nation’s health, will be unthinkable.”
Tase Oputu, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English National Pharmacy Board, said: “Community pharmacies are essential in ensuring patient safety by providing vital medicines and health services that prevent hospital admissions and relieve pressure on the wider healthcare system.
“As the government develops its ten-year plan, it must prioritise sustainable funding for pharmacies to safeguard patient safety, building on the success of initiatives like Pharmacy First in England.
“With increasing prescription volumes and rising demand on pharmacy teams, urgent action is needed to ensure patients continue to benefit from a safe, resilient and accessible community pharmacy network.”
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said: “Patient safety is of the utmost concern to the CCA’s members.
“We recognise that there are considerable workload pressures facing pharmacy teams and businesses. Pharmacy teams will always work with patients to ensure they can access their medicines and care.
“There is no question that the community pharmacy network needs additional funding — we urge contract renegotiations to begin as soon as possible.”
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “It is going to be catastrophic. We have spoken to many contractors and they are already struggling.”
“The economic impact of the funding historic and current (with no settlement in sight) is resulting in community pharmacy making tough operational and staffing decisions that then impact further on our teams and then patient care and experience,” she added.
In December 2024, CPE called on the government to prevent further pharmacy closures and invest in the “long-term stability of the community pharmacy sector” in response to the government’s consultation on its ten-year plan for the NHS.
At the time, Morrison said: “Our overarching aim is to see increased commissioning of pharmacy services for the benefit of patients, the public and the wider NHS. But this cannot happen without first resolving the critical need for investment in community pharmacies, as well as a more supportive regulatory structure and better collaboration across the whole health service.”
In November 2024, results of a ballot by the National Pharmacy Association revealed 99% of members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had voted in favour of limiting their services in the interest of patient safety if improved funding is not forthcoming.
In addition, 98% of members in England said they would be willing not to open for hours above the minimum required by their contract, while 96% of owners voted to withdraw from locally commissioned services, such as smoking cessation and emergency contraception services.
