Many pharmacies could shut if they don’t receive extra funding

Thousands of pharmacies could shut, indefinitely, if they do not receive extra funding to cope with COVID-19 pressures, as around half were already in shortage at the start of the pandemic, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has told the government.

In a message to the prime minister, the Chief Executive of the NPA, Mark Lyonette, outlined that the funding of £300m and cash injections don’t make up for what pharmacies have had to spend during the crisis and that the sector is facing fear about having to repay the funding provided by the government. Also, it outlined that fifty per cent of pharmacies were in shortfall before the coronavirus crisis began and that the enforcement of repaying the funds could result in thousands of pharmacies going out of business.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care stated: “Community pharmacies carry out critical work to protect the health of the public and support the wider NHS and we are backing them with three-hundred million pounds of advanced funding as we continue to assess the full additional impact of coronavirus.”

Chief Executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, Simon Dukes, stated: “As well as the rising cost of running a business, we have highlighted hidden costs, such as giving ad-hoc health advice and spending increasing amounts of time trying to source medicines. Many contractors were struggling to make efficiencies before this pandemic and the COVID-19 outbreak has only exacerbated these issues. We are, therefore, working with the NPA and other pharmacy bodies to gather evidence of pharmacy’s contribution to public health during the pandemic and we will use this to push for a full review of the contractual framework.”