The Pharmaceutical Defence Association (PDA) has urged health ministers of the UK to take a strict and necessary action against the unnecessary closures of
pharmacy.
Concerned over the rising number of pharmacy closures, PDA has written an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay; Robin Swann, health minister for Northern
Ireland; Eluned Morgan, minister of health and social services for Wales; and Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary.
In its letter, PDA said: "The minister of health must now ensure the regulation of poor business behaviours and be prepared to take over rogue pharmacies, however
large their corporate owner may be. If patients' access to NHS services is to be protected from the consequences of avoidable full or part-day pharmacy closures."
The association believes it is only a matter of time before serious harm to patients' health will be caused by the decisions of mainly large chains of pharmacies to
close some of their branches for all or part of a day, instead of engaging an available pharmacist to cover their agreed opening hours.
"While a small number of unforeseen closures have always occurred from time to time in pharmacies for genuine reasons, the indiscriminate scale at which closures
have now become commonplace seems to have evolved over the last 20 months."
"I dread the day, the accountant turns to me and says 'this isn't working' - as an owner, we shelter our patients and teams from the financial pressures
we feel on a daily basis," shares S.G Barai Pharmacy owner, Reena Barai.
Today, S.G Barai Pharmacy in Sutton, Surrey joined pharmacies nationwide in the #SaveOurPharmacies day of action, organised by the National Pharmacy Association
(NPA) to spotlight the critical funding crisis facing community pharmacies across the UK.
Recent figures reveal that over the past decade, more than 1,400 pharmacies have closed in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with additional closures looming
in Scotland due to financial pressures.
The NPA reports that three-quarters of pharmacies are operating at a loss, exacerbated by real-terms cuts to funding.
"We turned our lights off and wore black today to symbolize the precarious situation pharmacies like ours are facing," said Reena Barai who owns the pharmacy.
Pharmacies across Northern Ireland are in financial turmoil, reporting that they are dispensing prescription medicines at a loss due to inadequate
reimbursement from the Department of Health (DoH).
This crisis has led to the closure of almost a dozen pharmacies over the past 18 months, with many others struggling to stay open.
Siobhan McNulty, who runs Melvin Pharmacy in Garrison, County Fermanagh, described the dire situation. "We're dispensing medicines at a loss," she said.
"The reimbursement rates don't match the cost of the drugs, and we're left to cover the gap."
McNulty relies on sales of non-pharmaceutical products to keep her business running.
Pharmacists working in Northern Ireland think the retention fees are too high, and most would prefer to pay in instalments, if that option is available, amid
the increased living costs, a new survey has found.
97 per cent of the respondents to the survey, conducted by the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) of its Northern Irish members, felt the fees were too high. Four
in five said they would opt to pay in instalments if this option were available to them in light of the challenges of significant one-off payments.
On average, the fees accounted for 23 per cent of a pharmacist's take-home pay for one month, and 98 per cent did not see any value added to their professional
standing for the sum, according to the survey.
The PDA said the respondents also reported feeling disadvantaged among their colleagues in terms of how fees are collected, with many also wondering why the
registration fee was not offset for those on maternity leave or working reduced or flexible hours.