Community pharmacies have always been the heartbeat of local healthcare, offering trusted advice and essential medicines. Now, they have an increasing role in public health. They’re accessible, convenient, and most importantly staffed by professionals who genuinely care about their patients.
Over the past few years, they’ve stepped up massively, especially in delivering COVID-19 vaccinations. In 2021, pharmacies administered 25% of vaccinations, but by 2024, that number had jumped to 54%, overtaking GP surgeries for the first time.
Yet, instead of being celebrated and adequately funded, many pharmacies are being forced to close permanently. Chronic underfunding, rising operational costs, and delayed funding agreements make it harder for pharmacies to survive, let alone thrive.
A crisis that’s getting worse
In 2023 alone, 436 community pharmacies closed permanently, with an additional 13,863 temporary closures. That means thousands of communities suddenly lost easy access to healthcare, forcing people to travel further or wait longer to get essential medicines and advice. Pharmacies in the most deprived areas have been hit the hardest, reducing their hours 3.6 times more than those in wealthier areas.
To make matters worse, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) recently announced that they are unable to predict when the negotiations will conclude. This is worrying as the only persons who know, will be the ones directly involved in the negotiation process, and of course they are all sworn to secrecy. In a recent statement, CPE has clarified that the ‘Implementation work can go on for many months, depending on what is agreed,‘ after it was mis-interpreted that negotiations for this year and next year’s funding deal may not be concluded until July. Regardless, it is still a long time for struggling pharmacies to keep their heads above water while being expected to take on even more responsibilities. And ‘what is agreed’ will not be known to any pharmacy until they know how it affects them directly. In the mean while, LPC’s may be asked to contribute more, facing a potential levy increase of 2 percent for CPE to ‘make provision for appropriate resourcing.’ Of course we all know that LPCs get their levies from directly from pharmacies…
It begs the question, with CPE’s continued increases in funding from LPCs, ‘What has CPE actually achieved that brought positive financial change to the sector in the last decade and the Wright review?’
Pharmacists and locums are feeling the pressure
It’s not just businesses that are struggling – it’s the people in the pharmacies and behind the counters. The CPE’s 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey revealed that 71% of pharmacy owners face staff shortages, and 14% of pharmacies have had to close temporarily. Overworked pharmacists are reporting mental health struggles, with 92% saying they’re struggling to cope with excessive workloads and even abuse from frustrated patients.
Locum pharmacists, who are self-employed and rely on shifts rather than full-time contracts, feel it even more. In Scotland, many say it’s becoming ‘almost impossible’ to make a living just from locum work. Shifts are drying up, hourly rates are dropping, and some locums even need to take second jobs to make ends meet. Unpaid locum fees have also skyrocketed, with the PDA recovering over £100,000 in unpaid wages in 2023 alone.
Pharmacists are at the heart of patient care, yet too often, their voices are being ignored when big decisions are made. If those working on the frontlines aren’t properly involved during contract negotiations, how can we expect agreements that actually work? We need a real seat at the table to ensure that any new funding model properly addresses the workforce crisis, improves working conditions, and guarantees fair pay for the essential work they do every single day. The time to have a chat and a ‘cup of tea and a biscuit’ is over.
We need urgent action
This isn’t just a funding issue – it is becoming a public health emergency and a ticking time bomb. Pharmacies have proven their worth time and time again, yet they’re being pushed to the brink. If closures continue at this rate, millions will lose access to vital pharmaceutical care, and many pharmacists, especially locums, may be forced out of the profession entirely.
It’s time for real investment, not just empty promises. Policymakers must recognise the vital role of pharmacists and pharmacy teams and protect pharmacies – the front door to health and the NHS. They must act now to provide the funding and support they desperately need and CPE must be held to account.
Without urgent intervention, we risk losing not just pharmacies but the dedicated pharmacists and pharmacy teams who care for patients and keep pharmacies running – a cost no one can afford.
By Jay Badenhorst, PDA Director of Pharmacy
This blog post was updated on 20 February 2025.
Learn more
- Multiple meltdown: How many branches of each chain survived 2024?
- IN FULL: CPE sets April to July ‘timeframe’ to deliver new contract
- Impact of 800 pharmacy closures can ‘ruin lives’ – BBC News
- PSNC Briefing Summary of the Independent Review into Contractor Representation and Support
- Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024: Staffing and Morale Report
- ‘Almost impossible to earn a living’: Locums take second jobs
- PDA secures over £100,000 in unpaid locum fees for members so far this year
- PDA chair tells Morrison to give employee pharmacists a seat on CPE
- We’re all community pharmacy
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