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A new report commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed harsh financial realities faced by community pharmacies in England. The report by Professor David Taylor of University College London warned that 1000s of community pharmacy closure might take place by 2024 in England if the sector was not supported with additional funds. At the launch of the report titled 'Protecting UK Public Interests in NHS Community Pharmacy', Prof Taylor said: "There will be several 1,000s of closures over the next few years unless we take appropriate action, which doesn't mean to pour money all over it, but it is to fund appropriately when necessary. "At the moment, if we got a partial collapse in the pharmacy network it would disrupt medicine supply and increase health inequalities… For me, it's missing out on the future development of better and more accessible care, which would be the tragedy of reducing, harming and damaging the pharmacy network unnecessarily."

The Pharmacy First service, set for launch in England at the end of January, is expected to help reduce some of the pressure on the National Health Service (NHS). But the question is - Are pharmacists ready to take the extra workload amidst many issues community pharmacies are currently facing? Nearly 50 per cent of pharmacy workers surveyed by ITV News said they do not feel confident they can provide the new services. Pharmacy leaders told the British news channel that the industry is already in crisis, and they are facing a "potentially fatal cocktail" of rising prices, major supply problems and a lack of funding.