Pharmacies across the UK could stop serving patients for prescriptions and close on weekends due to a long-standing dispute over contract negotiations.
The first services to be impacted are emergency contraception, addiction support, and stop-smoking services, with reduced evening and weekend hours likely. Independent pharmacies, represented by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), are preparing for collective action in the sector’s history after delays of nearly 300 days in negotiations over government funding.
The NPA, which represents over 6,000 independent pharmacies, stated that some owners have taken out significant loans to stay operational, while others struggle to invest in necessary staff and facilities. For the average community pharmacy, up to 95% of income comes from providing NHS services such as dispensing prescriptions and flu vaccinations, with supplementary income from retail and private services.
Reena Barai, pharmacist and owner of SG Barai Pharmacy and the co-founder of Female Pharmacy Leaders Network shared with Asian Voice, the key challenges she faces with the contract dispute is the fear of the unknown. She said, “Nobody would work or enter into employment without a contract, yet this is the situation I find myself in, along with the 10,000+ pharmacies in England. Our contract with NHS England terminated in March 2024. To date, no new negotiations have taken place to settle a new contract for us.
“I find myself in limbo. Trying to make ends meet after almost 10 year of financial attrition, with no clue as to what the future holds. This makes it hard to make day to day decisions on staffing, purchasing medicines and modifications to premises.”
Discussing the long-term consequences of this issue, she further added, “If the situation remains unresolved, we will have to make some difficult decisions. Pharmacy has built a goodwill through many discretionary services it provides that keep people safe and well in their own homes. Free delivery of medication is a classic example. Without this service thousands of housebound patients wouldn’t have access to their medications in a timely manner. Many pharmacies are making tough decisions about services like this that they no longer can fund themselves.”
A dire consequences for this pharmacies can be being forced to shut down. In the past two years, 700 pharmacies have closed, and funding has been cut by 40% over the last decade, adjusting for inflation, according to the NPA. It has warned NHS England that pharmacies are being treated like “second-class citizens” in the health service.
Reena, enforcing the importance of pharmacies said, “Community pharmacies provide far more than just dispensing medication, a fact underscored by the expanding range of services introduced over the past 20 years. Patients increasingly view pharmacies as the "front door" to the NHS, seeking advice on minor illnesses and accessing essential services like COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
“Pharmacies are a vital component of the NHS infrastructure, deeply embedded in local communities. Their true strength lies in their identity as "community" pharmacies, delivering healthcare closer to where people live and work, all without the need for appointments. This accessibility and proximity make them an indispensable part of modern healthcare delivery.”
With the current contract for community pharmacies expired since March 31, 2024, they remain without a new agreement, while GPs have already received theirs for the next financial year.
Reena believes that integrating pharmacies into the broader NHS framework can significantly enhance patient care. She emphasises that this can be achieved by fully incorporating community pharmacies into local NHS pathways, granting them access to patient records, and ensuring they achieve parity of esteem with other NHS colleagues.
“This vision represents the future we aspire to, even as we work to navigate the challenges of the current state of play”, she said.
