Last week, C+D exclusively revealed that 140 community pharmacies closed across England between November 2016 – the month before the 12% funding cut came into force – and May 2018. One in four of these pharmacies served patients in deprived areas.

In response to the findings, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) warned that there may be further pharmacy closures – most likely to be small independents.

“Some independent pharmacies do seem to thrive in deprived areas, particularly when they extend the scope of the services they offer,” PDA head of policy Alima Batchelor said.

“The worry is that issues around generic pricing and the [category M] clawback are coming perilously close to putting smaller independent pharmacies out of business, which will harm these deprived communities even more”, she warned.

C+D’s analysis revealed that Lloydspharmacy branches accounted for half of the 140 closed pharmacies, which Ms Batchelor said “illustrates how challenging current conditions are for even the larger chains”.

“Losing community pharmacy [branches] is very short-sighted when the pressure on general practice is so great and is expected to increase,” she stressed. 

The pharmacy workforce should be “nurtured, trained and supported” to help “improve the health of the population, particularly in deprived areas”, she added.

NPA: Immense pressure calls for long-term investment

Commenting on C+D's exclusive investigation, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said: “It is clear that many pharmacies are under immense pressure, including pharmacies serving deprived communities with few healthcare resources available to them.”

C+D’s findings “add to the already compelling case for substantial long-term investment in community pharmacy to ensure adequate care for those who need it most”, it added.

In March 2017, the NPA launched a legal challenge against the funding cuts on the grounds that the government failed to consider the impact on the elderly, the disabled and those from black and minority ethnic communities. The sector is still awaiting the outcome of the High Court appeal.