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The UK is far behind comparable nations in spending on medicines and community pharmacies, according to a new analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). Published today, the report highlights that Britain ranks among the worst countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for access to pharmacies, with fewer pharmacies per 100,000 people than countries like Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, France, and many others. On average, a UK pharmacy serves around 5,700 patients, far more than those in France (3,238 patients) and the Republic of Ireland (2,500 patients), where an average pharmacy caters to less than half the number of patients served in the UK. All comparable countries manage fewer patients per pharmacy. The NPA analysis also found that the UK spends less per capita on medicines than nations such as Australia, Ireland, Japan, the US, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Germany spends twice as much as the UK, while the US spends nearly three times more.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) highlighted the role played by community pharmacies during pandemic to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions at its opening remark in the Covid-19 public inquiry held on Tuesday (28 February). NPA is the core participant in the Covid-19 public inquiry. lawyer Brian Stanton made an opening statement on the NPA's behalf which focused on three areas- health inequalities and the needs of vulnerable patients; the impact of medicine shortages and medicine price increases and the challenge that community pharmacy faced in responding to the pandemic and maintaining patient services following long-term under investment. Stanton said: "The UK's community pharmacies were on the frontline of efforts to limit the impact of coronavirus and to keep people well, and as well as handling a massive increase in demand for healthcare advice and medicines, they also continued to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions. "However, there are now very many at risk of closure during to underfunding and when the Inquiry comes to consider its recommendations the NPA would encourage you [the presiding judge] to think about how resilience can be built into future plans." The statement included a compelling account of the commitment typical of so many pharmacies during the pandemic - from husband and wife Pete and Sukhi Johal, both NPA members and pharmacists, who co-own Calow Pharmacy in Chesterfield.

Sector leaders have welcomed the NPA ballot results, which demonstrate that community pharmacies are prepared to take collective action if a funding increase is not achieved. Nearly all pharmacy owners, who participated in the NPA ballot, said they were willing to limit their services to protest funding cuts. Commenting on the poll results, Malcolm Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) said: "The results of the NPA ballot serves to underline the huge pressure that pharmacy contractors face, following a decade of underfunding. He emphasised the need to start the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) renegotiations for 2024/25 without delay. "The government and NHS must uplift all elements of the contractual framework, to stop further reductions in pharmacy opening hours and permanent pharmacy closures, and to ensure that patients can continue to receive the medicines and clinical care and advice they need," he added. Harry McQuillan, Chairman of Numark, stated that while the NPA ballot outcome has once again brought the financial crisis facing the sector into focus, this is "an everyday reality" for many independent pharmacies and that it has reached "breaking point." He warned that rising operational costs including the increase in national insurance and minimum wage will push many more to the brink.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) survey revealed that 93 per cent of respondents experienced 'at least one month' of negative cash flow across their pharmacy business in 2022. Nine out of 10 pharmacy owners responding to NPA survey said they made a net loss dispensing medicines for the NHS during 2022, for at least one month of the year. According to the poll, 48 per cent of them lost money on this core NHS service for six months or more. 45 per cent said their overall outgoings had exceeded overall income in at least six months of the year. NPA Chair Andrew Lane said: "This survey shows the bleak financial reality facing many independent pharmacies after years of underfunding. Dispensing at a loss and negative cashflow is clearly unsustainable." "This funding crisis must be addressed urgently or pharmacies will fall into a spiral of declining services and ultimately widespread closures, he added. "Tragically, the story is playing out very much in line with independent research commissioned by the NPA last year, which warned of a nationwide financial emergency in our sector."

Rural areas have been hit the hardest by a wave of pharmacy closures over the past two years, according to a new analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). The analysis published today revealed that nearly nine in ten council areas across England have suffered the loss of vital pharmacies and warned that many rural areas risk becoming "pharmacy deserts" if the current closure rates continue. Additionally, the NPA, which represents independent community pharmacies, warned that England faces a significant risk to the availability of essential medicines if "a decade of underfunding and closures" is not addressed. It is calling on the government to reverse the 40 per cent real-terms cuts to community pharmacy budgets over the past decade, which have led to the closure of over 1,500 pharmacies and forced many others to reduce their opening hours. NPA Chief Executive, Paul Rees said: "These shocking statistics show how a growing number of areas are at risk of becoming pharmacy deserts, with people in rural towns and villages having to travel longer and longer distances to get hold of the medication they need.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called on the NHS and the Department of Health to immediately publish the government-commissioned analysis of pharmacy underfunding and reveal the true scale of the crisis. Commissioned by NHS England, the long-awaited independent review is expected to "lay bare the perilous financial state" of community pharmacies, which is a vital part of the nation's health infrastructure. However, the NPA is concerned that the government may delay its release until after current funding consultations are concluded. The NPA argued that the public needs to understand the fragile nature of the pharmacy network before any new deal can be agreed. It has also warned health officials not to hide "the true scale of funding needed to reverse a decade of swingeing cuts", which has forced record numbers of pharmacy closures. NPA chair Nick Kaye said: "It would be a scandal to keep that evidence buried secret and leave MPs, pharmacies and the public in the dark." He acknowledged that the new government has inherited a crisis in pharmacy funding and emphasised that it will need to take "strong action" to maintain access to medicines.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has raised the alarm that many community pharmacies are facing losses on NHS prescriptions due to the "broken" funding system. An analysis of prescription drug prices by the NPA revealed that pharmacies are being underpaid by the NHS by up to £75 a pack for common medicines, resulting in losses of thousands of pounds each month. The analysis report released today (16 October) shows the government reimburses £18.06 for a 56-tablet pack of Amantadine, a drug used to treat Parkinson's symptoms. However, the market price of the drug is £94.05 per pack, leading to a loss of £75.99 per 56-tablet pack for pharmacies-amounting to a shortfall of over £1 per tablet. In some instances, NHS funding covers only one-fifth of the cost that pharmacies have to pay for medicines, according to new figures from the NPA.