Two - thirds of pharmacies at risk of closure

lbc.co.uk · Feb 18, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Closure of pharmacies will “jeopardise access” to medicines for millions of patients and “blows an enormous hole” in Government plans to bring care closer to home, the NPA added 18 Feb 2026, 08:53 | Updated: 2h ago Two-thirds of pharmacies are at risk of “imminent closure” due to financial constraints, experts have warned. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images By Rebecca Henrys Two-thirds of pharmacies are at risk of “imminent closure” due to financial constraints, experts have warned. Loading audio... Many are considering cutting services as they have reached “breaking point”, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said.Closure of pharmacies will “jeopardise access” to medicines for millions of patients and “blows an enormous hole” in Government plans to bring care closer to home, the NPA added.The NPA has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to highlight the “perilous position” of independent pharmacies in England.“A recent poll found that two-thirds (65 per cent) of pharmacies in England operated at a loss last year,” the letter states.“That means that in reality two-thirds of pharmacies are at real risk of imminent closure, jeopardising access to medicines our patients need and blowing an enormous hole in the 10 year plan before it has even begun.”Read more: Starmer urges parents to get children vaccinated against measles warning 'public health isn't a culture war'Read more: Revealed: The group taking the most weight-loss jabs NHS branding is seen outside a pharmacy on September 19, 2024 in London, England. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images The letter says pharmacists are facing a “cliff edge” of costs from April, including business rate rises and minimum wage increases.It also highlights how pharmacies are “routinely subsidising NHS prescriptions”, which is “simply not right”.“Too many of us are left taking out loans, maximising overdrafts and raiding pensions that we have spent our working lives building to keep our pharmacies afloat,” the letter adds.“We do not want to make the agonising decisions about whether the pharmacy can stay open or what services to cut in April.”The NPA, which represents around 6,000 independent pharmacies, urged the Government to give pharmacies an above-inflation funding uplift and to reform the pharmacy contract.Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “The fact that so many pharmacies operate at a loss should set off serious alarm bells in Government about the stability of medicine supply on which millions of people depend.“Pharmacies serving millions of patients are at real risk of closure as a tsunami of new costs arrive and are faced with agonising decisions about how they can continue.“Without urgent action, millions of patients risk losing the most accessible part of the NHS; their local pharmacy.“Wes Streeting’s plans to bring care to communities won’t happen if he allows pharmacies to continue closing and those that remain are propped up by pharmacy owners remortgaging their own homes or raiding pension pots.“We took a step forward last year and we want Wes Streeting to honour his promise to thousands of pharmacies to provide us with the stability we need to invest in the future.”The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.