Research warns pharmacy closures leave patients facing long weekend trips for medicines
New research from the National Pharmacy Association warns that pharmacy closures are forcing some patients to travel long distances, including at weekends, to get medicines.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
New research from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) warns that patients in some parts of England could face long journeys, including at weekends, to get medicines. The findings put fresh pressure on ministers over access to community pharmacies and the financial health of the sector.
The NPA says more than one in 10 high street pharmacies has closed down in the last decade. There are now about 9,900 high street pharmacies in England, down 1,500 since 2017. The fall includes 51 closures between January and August this year. Of those, 31 were in rural areas that had received additional support funding from an NHS scheme because access to services was considered vital. The NPA says that support was not enough to keep them open, leaving patients with less access to healthcare.
Weekend access is a particular concern. The research says finding a pharmacy open at the weekend now means a trip of more than 15 miles for some people. In one town in Cornwall, the nearest pharmacy open at a weekend is a 16-mile round trip, requiring a journey of one hour and 10 minutes on public transport.
Pharmacies say there has been a 40% cut in government funding in real terms over the last decade. They point to rising employer costs and what they describe as a yawning gap in their finances. The NPA says there has been a tidal wave of closures and that urgent intervention is needed to stabilise the network. Community pharmacy representatives say their members are still struggling, looking at their balance sheets and in some cases closing for good.
Another pharmacy group says it will work with some GPs to launch a patient petition. It will call on ministers to provide more funding for local health services. A pharmacist quoted in the report said energy, fuel, business rates and staff costs had all gone up, while funding had remained the same for many years. For many pharmacies, it is not possible to keep the doors open, the report says.
A Department of Health spokesperson said pharmacies were central to the NHS 10-year plan and that the number of closures had slowed significantly under this government.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| High street pharmacy numbers in England have fallen, with more than one in 10 closing over the past decade and about 9,900 remaining, down 1,500 since 2017. | |
| Pharmacies reported a 40% real-terms cut in government funding over the last decade. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This broadcast centres on the National Pharmacy Association's new research and frames pharmacy closures as an access crisis, especially in rural areas and at weekends. It gives space to pharmacy representatives calling for urgent funding while still including the government's response that closures have slowed. The tone is concerned but avoids political shouting, staying close to the report's figures and personal access examples.
- “Finding a pharmacy that opens at the weekend now means a trip of more than 15 miles for some people, while more than one in 10 high street pharmacies has closed down in the last decade.”
- “The NPA says there's been a tidal wave of closures.”
- “A Department of Health spokesperson said pharmacies were central to the NHS 10-year plan and the number of closures had slowed significantly under this government.”
Who was on air
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- 13:11 BST
“by the National Pharmacy Association,”
BBC News at One including... · Fri 25 Sept - 13:13 BST
“A Department of Health spokesperson”
BBC News at One including... · Fri 25 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
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