It feels like I’m always writing about pharmacy closures these days. Lloydspharmacy, Asda and Tesco have all announced consolidation plans this year, with Boots last week (June 27) throwing its hat into the ring when it revealed it would be closing 300 branches over the course of a year.
At this point, it’s hardly a surprise whenever a major pharmacy chain announces a raft of corporate disposals – and I’ve reflected before on what this suggests about the shift in power towards independent pharmacies. But it is worth noting that upwards of 550 pharmacies will have closed within an 18-month period. Whatever way you look at it, that is an enormous chunk of the UK’s community pharmacy network to exit the market in an incredibly short space of time.
Read more: The government must act now on supermarket pharmacy closures
One of the clear repercussions of these closures – as pointed out yesterday (July 5) by the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) – is that they could easily lead to more work being heaped on top of the already burnt out teams working at remaining pharmacies. It’s a point that I’ve been pondering, especially against the backdrop of last week’s (June 30) NHS long term workforce plan.
In promising a 29% uplift in pharmacist training places by 2028/29, the long-awaited policy document seems to acknowledge that pharmacy is facing a workforce crisis, echoing what many sector leaders have been saying for months now; that the supply of pharmacists simply doesn’t match demand.
Read more: CPE calls for ARRS to end as new workforce plan looms
However, the debate as to whether there really is a shortage of pharmacists – and, indeed, whether the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) should be curtailed to stop the exodus of community pharmacists into primary care networks (PCNs) – still rages on.
It’s heartening to think that community pharmacy’s workforce is set for a boost in the years to come, even though we’re unlikely to see the effects of that in the short term. But unless the sector can once again present itself as a more tempting place to work, I fear that in 10 years’ time, we’ll be in the same place we are now – with more pharmacists than ever on the register but still scrabbling to fill community pharmacist vacancies.
Read more: What does the NHS workforce plan really mean for pharmacy staffing issues?
Let’s not forget that community pharmacy can be a great place to work, offering the chance to connect with patients, make life-saving interventions and, if you play your cards right, make it big in business. It’s easy to overlook that, though, when there simply isn’t the funding to staff pharmacies safely and it can feel like every new clinical service is just adding to a to-do list as long as your arm rather than enriching your career.
Fixing that will take a considerable amount of time and – you guessed it – money. So Department of Health and Social Care (DH), I am once again asking for your financial support. Fund our community pharmacies properly and allow the sector to get its sparkle back. Otherwise, prepare to watch the community pharmacy sector crumble in front of your very eyes.
Beth Kennedy is the editor of C+D