Pharmacies report funding shortfalls impacting medication supply

Pharmacies have expressed feeling constrained by an NHS system that they claim does not provide sufficient funds to procure and supply medicines to their customers. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has advocated for an annual funding increase of £1.7 billion, and some pharmacy owners have indicated they would reduce operating hours and discontinue home deliveries in protest. Sherry Samrai, manager at the Woodside Pharmacy in Telford, stated that she has been forced to turn away frustrated patients because she could not justify the expense of purchasing certain drugs. The government indicated its intention to implement “fundamental reforms” and acknowledged it had “inherited a system that has been neglected for too long”. Nigel Dugmore, from Donnington Pharmacy, also located in Telford, observed that the cost of acquiring stock has escalated by up to 60% in recent years, while the funding he receives from the NHS to cover these costs has remained unchanged. The NPA, which is not a trade union but represents 6,500 of the UK’s community pharmacies, reported that 700 pharmacies in England have closed in the past two years alone. It also stated that it felt compelled to recommend pharmacies withdraw services from as early as the new year if funding is not increased. Ms Samrai said: “We’re working with really tight margins with our wholesalers at the moment.” She added: “We are turning away a lot of patients, for example on blood pressure medication – it’s just not worth us dispensing them.” Having been a pharmacy manager for 15 years, she noted that larger chains might benefit from bulk ordering, but this is not easily achievable for community pharmacies like the one she manages. She conveyed that disappointing patients due to the inability to afford certain prescription medications was difficult for her staff, adding “it really does impact us”. An NHS spokesperson confirmed it was “working with government and pharmacies to find a way forward so patients continue to receive high-quality care”. Mr Dugmore, who is also a Conservative councillor in Telford, agreed that the current system was not functioning effectively. He stated: “For quite a long time now the amount the NHS has been paying for medicines has been less than the cost it takes to buy it in.” He explained that pharmacies are bound by a five-year funding settlement from the government, which the treasury “will not budge on”, despite wholesalers having increased their prices. “You would have thought there would have been some review clauses in there,” he remarked. To exacerbate the situation, he mentioned that pharmacies must purchase medicines before they can apply to the NHS for reimbursement, a process that can take up to two months for the funds to arrive. This can place additional strain on his community pharmacy during the winter, when it needs to acquire extra cold and flu treatments. Onkar Singh, a pharmacist and director of Prentex, which operates eight pharmacies across Wolverhampton and Walsall, reported that several pharmacies in those areas had recently closed and that “funding has dropped like a stone over the past five years”. However, he chose not to vote in the NPA ballot for protest action due to concerns it would cause anxiety among his patients. “We’ve already had calls from a number of patients about the change in services,” he commented. He added: “So it’s been about trying to reassure them.” Nigel Dugmore also stated that he did not support the action and would not be reducing the services he provided. He remarked: “I couldn’t hand-on-heart turn around say to someone I can’t treat you because the NHS wont pay – you have to remember why you’re here.” He questioned: “Why should patients suffer?” Amo Sohal, a pharmacist at Kitsons Pharmacy in Worcester, an establishment dating back to 1749, described his current funding position as “quite disconcerting”. He commented: “I think this is a really clear sign from the people that took part in the vote.” He continued: “The current contract that we are stuck with historically hasn’t had any change for quite a while and we’re having to live with that.” He illustrated: “If you imagine a hamster on a treadmill, we’re going faster and faster and even then it’s not enough.” He concluded: “It’s not surprising the pharmacies are closing.” He urged: “The government has to sit up and take notice of this because once they’re gone, they’re gone.”