Temporary closures add to crisis in community pharmacies
First geographical breakdown of pharmacy closures
Earlier this year, Healthwatch England submitted a Freedom of Information request to those who bring together local health and care organisations to improve outcomes, tackle inequalities and create better services. These are known as integrated care boards. Healthwatch asked them about permanent and temporary pharmacy closures, following concerns raised by the public and local Healthwatch.
In 2022-23, there were 11,414 community pharmacies in England. However, data obtained from all 42 care boards revealed that 436 pharmacies closed permanently in England between 1 January and 31 December 2023. This means that, on average, over one pharmacy closed permanently every day.
During the same period, 13,863 temporary closures were reported across 41 care boards, resulting in 46,823 hours lost and an average closure length of three hours and 40 minutes.
Most integrated care boards reported staff shortages, such as problems finding a locum, as the main cause of temporary closures.
Who's affected the most?
Healthwatch findings suggest that the NHS in rural areas recorded a higher level of temporary pharmacy closures compared to those in predominantly urban areas.
Additionally, care boards with a higher proportion of people over 60 years of age recorded a higher number of hours lost per pharmacy.
The local picture
This shows the total hours of temporary pharmacy closures in 2023 reported by integrated care boards to Healthwatch England.
North East and Yorkshire
- Hours of temporary closures: 10,544
- Number of temporary closures: 3,477
- Total number of pharmacies: 1,896
- Permanent closures: 70
See the Healthwatch map of pharmacy closures in England.
Temporary closures undermine Pharmacy First
The findings come after the General Pharmaceutical Council warned that 'the rate of closures is spiralling rapidly.' Their data showed that deprived areas had lost proportionally more pharmacies than less deprived areas.
Healthwatch England research shows that temporary closures are adding to the mounting problems in the pharmacy sector, calling into doubt the success of the Pharmacy First programme. Launched in January, the programme allows people to get care for seven common conditions to relieve pressure on GP practices, but the ongoing closures are making it harder for people to access medications and care.
What we think
Our Chief Executive, Ashley Green, said:
"Research by Healthwatch England has shown that temporary pharmacy closures present a widespread challenge.
“This issue is having huge impacts on older people and in rural areas where people already have to travel further to visit their pharmacist.
“Staff shortages, the key driver of permanent and temporary closures, call into doubt the potential of Pharmacy First, meaning people can’t get the advice, care and medications they need and when they need them.
"We know that people's frustration often stems from not being informed about pharmacy closures in advance. Better signposting that pharmacies will be closed and setting out alternatives would go some way to improving patient experience.
"However, in the longer term, action must be taken to address staff shortages and unequal access. A national evaluation of pharmacy funding and the size, role-mix and distribution of the pharmacy workforce is necessary to improve planning of pharmacy services."
We're calling for:
1. Patients to be better notified of pharmacy closures, and for pharmacy teams to be supported by improved contingency plans.
NHS England and Integrated Care Boards should support pharmacy teams to give appropriate notice and advice to the public wherever possible. This could be through the NHS App, NHS website, short message service platforms, and local GP (General Practitioner) and pharmacy websites – providing real time information on temporary closures.
Integrated care boards should also analyse and publish monthly figures on the number of temporary closures to inform workforce planning, spot trends in postcode variations, and tackle persistent closures using agreed local hours plans. Data should be reported in a standardised form to help better inform national planning pharmacy services.
2. A national evaluation to consider issues facing pharmacy, including workforce, funding, data, and estates.
NHS England should commission a formal evaluation of the challenges facing the pharmacy sector. This evaluation should specifically examine pharmacy workforce planning to ensure that both the size and distribution of the pharmacy workforce is optimally geared towards ensuring equal access to services and expanding pharmacy’s care offer.
Pharmacy closures in England
A new briefing by Healthwatch England provides the first geographical breakdown of pharmacy closures.
