The local impact of pharmacy closures was highlighted in a Devon Council cabinet committee meeting on April 8, 2026, with one councillor calling the findings “deeply troubling”.
Councillor Steve Lodge tabled the issue and shared that a public meeting was held in January in Tiverton regarding local pharmacy closures.
He called the findings of the meeting “deeply troubling” due to the “sheer human cost” of local pharmacy access problems.
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A patient impact assessment survey was then completed by a local GP surgery in Tiverton.
It found that, amongst nearly 3,000 respondents, 35% of people were “unable to buy basic over-the-counter medicines locally”.
30% of people were “unable to access pharmacy services at all” in the area.
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Nearly 10% of respondents also said these access issues lead to “potential patient harm”, such as “missed medications, worsening symptoms [and] people ending up in urgent care because they couldn’t get their prescription filled”.
Pharmacy access issues were then directly linked to a 10% “increase in GP appointments” in Tiverton.
Councillor Steve Lodge said, “Tiverton is not unique - this is a crisis unfolding across Devon and across England.”
“Systemic failure”
The councillor added, “community pharmacies aren’t a luxury for many, especially the elderly, disabled, and vulnerable. They are the front line of health care.”
He stressed that pharmacists were not to blame and were “doing their best under impossible pressure”, whether that be dealing with “relentless demand, the lack of support [or] impossible choices”.
The issue was described as a “systemic failure” requiring a “systemic response”, due to problems such as “funding, workforce, supply chains [and] commissioning”.
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Councillor Andrew Leadbetter asked whether getting “prescriptions delivered” would solve the issue.
Councillor Lodge responded that although online pharmacies are “valuable” and can be “rapid”, “when you turn to online pharmacies, it means you lose your local pharmacies”.
He stressed that local community pharmacies are valuable because they can also give customers “advice” and provide “other services”.
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In January, this issue was raised by the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board to the Secretary of State.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) responded in February 2026 and said they “would welcome any suggestions about further legislative levers which could be added to meet pharmaceutical needs and safeguard provision”.
It also noted that department officials would arrange a “further conversation” regarding pharmacy provision in the area.
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Councillor Lodge also referenced the National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA) research which surveyed 600 member pharmacies.
It revealed that 63% of independents believed they were close to permanent closures in the next year, due to the financial pressures faced by community pharmacies.
In March, data from the NHS’s Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) showed that in the five years from February 2021 to February 2026, “nearly 8%” of brick and mortar pharmacies had closed.
Conversely, online pharmacies showed a “19.5% increase since 2021”.
