‘No pharmacist should have to use their own money to keep their pharmacy viable’

Many pharmacists are struggling to stay afloat after years of funding cuts, forcing them to dip into their life savings   

Parliamentarians continue to highlight the serious challenges faced by community pharmacists, calling for increased support for the sector.

On Wednesday, January 8, during Prime Minister's Questions, Marie Goldman, Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, drew attention to the issue of pharmacies dispensing medications at a loss.

Goldman cited the case of a pharmacy owner in her constituency who is ‘sometimes forced to pay over 100 times more’ for a particular mental health drug than the contract reimburses.

Dipak, the pharmacy owner, has been serving his community since opening his pharmacy in 1991, often greeting patients by name.  However, he is now struggling to keep his business afloat as his NHS contract no longer covers the cost of the drugs he dispenses.

“Dipak is dipping into his life savings to keep the pharmacy afloat. I am sure many other pharmacies are doing the same,” Goldman stated.

She asked the prime minister whether he agreed that “no pharmacist should be forced to use their own money to keep their pharmacy viable.”

In response, prime minister Kier Starmer acknowledged the vital role community pharmacies play in the health service and noted that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sets drug tariff prices and regularly assesses what pharmacies are reimbursed to ensure they are all paid fairly.

He thanked Goldman for raising the issue and assured that the case details would be reviewed by a dedicated team.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) underscored that Marie’s constituent Dipak is one of many pharmacists struggling to stay afloat after years of funding cuts and called for “fair funding” to #SaveOurPharmacies.

The organisation has warned of potential collective action by pharmacies later this month if the government to start the funding negotiations soon.

Earlier in the week, during a debate on NHS backlogs, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan MP addressed the impact of rising National Insurance contributions on pharmacies.

She warned that, alongside the cost to GP surgeries, the hike would also “hammer” pharmacies, with “more than a third of pharmacy owners now worried that their business may not survive the winter.”

Morgan urged the government “to commit to removing the increase in employer national insurance contributions to support these crucial community services, so that fewer people end up in hospital and more people are treated in the community, where they will get better and quicker treatment.”

In a related debate in the House of Lords, Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative) and Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) cited Community Pharmacy England analysis, which projected that these proposed measures would lead to an additional £50 million annually for pharmacies.

Lord Scriven called on the government to rethink the decision and exempt health and care providers from this hike, and “not burden GPs, dentists, community pharmacists, hospices and care providers with higher costs that some will find impossible to fund.”

In response, Lord Livermore, financial secretary to the Treasury, assured the House that the government had allocated £4.7 billion for the next year, increasing to £5.1 billion by 2029-30, to protect the spending power of the public sector, including the NHS, from the direct impact of the changes.

He also announced that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) would soon confirm funding arrangements for GPs, dentistry, and pharmacy.