Three in four pharmacies losing money as medicine shortages hit patients daily

By SHAUN WOOLLER, EXECUTIVE HEALTH EDITOR Published: 00:01, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 00:03, 14 July 2026 Patients will find it harder to obtain medicines as mounting financial pressures force pharmacies to shut or slash hours, a trade body has warned. Community Pharmacy England said 75 per cent of pharmacies are now losing money amid rises in business rates, wages and utility bills. Many are now considering charging for things they previously offered for free, such as deliveries and sorting cocktails of drugs into daily pill boxes, it added. It comes as widespread drug shortages make sourcing supplies a daily struggle, with chemists increasingly spending time on the phone to wholesalers rather than treating patients. The CPE surveyed the owners of more than 2,900 pharmacies and 900 team members and found just 14 per cent of pharmacies are currently profitable. The number of pharmacies in England is already at the lowest level in 20 years, following widespread closures. Some 72 per cent of pharmacy workers said their patients are affected daily by medicines shortages and 88 per cent say patients sometimes have to make repeated visits to multiple pharmacies in order to obtain the drugs they need. Almost nine in ten pharmacies (86 per cent) are spending longer procuring medicines than they did last year, taking them away from the frontline. Community Pharmacy England said 75 per cent of pharmacies are now losing money amid rises in business rates, wages and utility bills. It means patients are waiting longer to receive advice from pharmacy teams in 73 per cent of pharmacies and 83 per cent of pharmacies are unable to respond to patients' phone calls and emails as promptly as usual. CPE described the system as 'not fit for purpose' and called for 'urgent, large-scale reform' to protect patients and pharmacies. Community pharmacies have been struggling financially since funding cuts were imposed in 2015. The Department of Health and Social Care agreed a recent funding rise but the sector says there is still a £2billion gap between what it receives and what it needs. Almost all pharmacies (99.7 per cent) report higher costs than last year and 99 per cent say NHS reimbursement does not cover medicine costs. A quarter of pharmacy owners or directors (25 per cent) have not taken any salary or income from the business in the past year and 15 per cent have resorted to subsidising their pharmacy with personal savings just to keep it going. To manage costs, nearly one in five pharmacies (18 per cent) are making staff redundant and 21 per cent expect to reduce opening hours this year. Furthermore, 29 per cent of pharmacies may need to start charging patients for unfunded services that were previously offered free of charge. CPE described the system as 'not fit for purpose' and called for 'urgent, large-scale reform' to protect patients and pharmacies. CPE said some patients are being made to wait days to get the drugs they need, with even those requiring psychiatric medicines going without. In some cases the frustration is turning to threatening behaviour. Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: 'These stark results show us once again that pharmacies are not sustainable, and that the pressures on them are directly affecting patient access to medicines and care. 'It is very troubling that pharmacies are having to reduce opening hours and introduce new charges for things that have previously been free to patients – and this goes directly against Government's ambitions to shift more healthcare, closer to home. 'And it is deeply concerning to see the depth of the financial crisis in the sector. 'Without further investment, pharmacy closures will continue and this will have very worrying consequences for patients and the public, impacting their access to medicines and advice directly. 'We know that closures often happen in areas where healthcare support is needed most, so this will worsen health inequalities. 'Further closures will also be devastating for wider local healthcare networks who will struggle to pick up the slack – pressure on GPs and hospitals will increase. 'And our local high streets, as well as local employment, will suffer. 'For all their sakes, and for the future of the NHS, community pharmacies need a sustainable future: meaning investment alongside a clear long-term plan for the sector.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Community pharmacies are a vital front door to the NHS, which is why this government has provided them with the largest funding uplift of any part of the health service for the third year running. 'We recognise that community pharmacies continue to face pressures and we are committed to working in partnership with the sector to deliver the long-term reform it needs. 'That is why we have also agreed the rollout of independent prescribing from autumn 2026, giving pharmacies a bigger clinical role and a more sustainable future as part of our neighbourhood health service.'