The CCA issued the following statement in response to PSNC’s Pressures Survey:
A CCA spokesperson said:
“The results of PSNC’s Pharmacy Pressures Survey come as no surprise. This is further confirmation that the pharmacy sector is on the brink of collapse. It is a sad reality that 81% of pharmacy owners are experiencing workload pressures, which is affecting their ability to help patients.
Earlier this year, the CCA uncovered that since 2015, there has been a net loss of 720 pharmacies – a worsening trend that shows no sign of abating. Coupled with underfunding of more than £67,000 per pharmacy annually, it is clear that the sector is fighting to survive.
It would be wholly irresponsible for Government to disregard the Pressures Survey’s findings. Community pharmacy funding is broken and needs a complete re-think – otherwise, we will continue to see a deterioration of the network, impacting patient care across the country particularly in the most deprived communities.
One step the Government must take is to commission a fully-funded Pharmacy First service in England. Recognising and rewarding the work coming into pharmacy from stretched GP services, is a crucial step in stabilising the network. This service would utilise the potential of community pharmacy to make a huge impact on patient access in primary care at a critical time for the NHS. We call on the NHS to use the upcoming Primary Care Recovery Plan to announce such a service.”