7 million people lose access to local pharmacy since 2017

England lost around seven million hours of pharmacy care and time in the last two years, with rural areas particularly impacted

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed shocking figures showing that millions of patients across England have lost access to pharmacies due to widespread closures and reduced operating hours.

According to NPA analysis of NHS data, around 1,250 pharmacies have permanently closed since 2017, and the majority of these closures have come in the last three years.

Given that each pharmacy serves an average of 5,600 people, this decline in pharmacy numbers means that about 7 million people—equivalent to one in eight of England’s population—have seen their local pharmacy shut down since 2017.

Furthermore, NPA analysis found that pharmacies in England were open for 551,000 hours a week in 2024, down from 620,000 at the same time in 2022, a reduction of around 7 million hours in the last two years.

Rural areas were particularly impacted, with Cambridgeshire, Wiltshire, Kent and Devon losing maximum hours of pharmacy care and time.

Kent saw 109,000 hours of pharmacy time lost in the last two years, Wiltshire lost 41,000 hours, Cambridgeshire 46,000 and Devon 49,000 hours.

NPA chair Nick Kaye expressed concern over the continuing loss of pharmacy services in rural areas, stating that it will “force vulnerable isolated patients to travel further for the care they need.”

He emphasised: "When pharmacies close, it means people have to travel further for care and the pharmacies that remain have to work harder to meet demand.

“When they are forced to cut hours to make ends meet it means people don’t have such flexibility to get advice or pick up medicines.”

The NPA highlighted that pharmacies have been forced to cut their opening hours or close altogether in recent years due to the impact of 40 per cent cuts to funding in the past decade.

The association has urged the government to take urgent action to reverse cuts to pharmacy budgets, warning that failure to do so could leave patients without vital medication and care.

Kaye said: “We’re relieved to hear that talks have finally begun for the long overdue pharmacy settlement but unless urgent and sustained increases in pharmacy funding are delivered imminently, this situation will only worsen and patients will face more and more difficulties getting the care they need and pharmacies will have no choice but to cut their services further to make ends meet.”

The NPA reiterated that if a new funding settlement fails to meet its five tests, they may recommend collective action—including cutting opening hours to contractual minimums.\

Pharmacy closures 

Recent data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) reveals that as of January 2025, England had 10,025 community pharmacies (excluding distance-selling pharmacies).

This marks a loss of 812 pharmacies since the start of 2021, when the total stood at 10,837.

There were 248 closures in 2024, averaging nearly five per week throughout the year.

Including distance selling pharmacies, the total number of pharmacies in England was recorded at 10,436.

Of the total, small independents (owning between 1-5 pharmacies) account for 4,900 pharmacies, holding the largest market share at 49 per cent.

Medium-sized groups (owning 6-99 pharmacies) account for 1,823 pharmacies, representing 18 per cent of the market share, while large pharmacy groups (owning 100+ pharmacies) now have 3,302 pharmacies, making up 33 per cent of the market share.

NHS funding contract ‘outdated and broken’

The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) also voiced concern, attributing pharmacy closures and reduced hours to underfunding

“Patients have lost access to almost 3.4 million hours of pharmacy care a year since September 2022,” said CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison.

He noted that over a third of these lost hours resulted from pharmacies being forced to cut their opening times due to the continued strain of historic underfunding.

The impact extends beyond the permanent closure of pharmacies as “ultimately it is patients and taxpayers who suffer from this reduction in access to NHS care,” Harrison said.

While community pharmacies want to deliver more care for patients, Harrison emphasised that they are held back by an “outdated and broken” NHS funding contract.

“After a decade without any funding increase, pharmacies desperately need additional money just to survive, and further long-term investment if they are do more,” he added.