Surveys by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Community Pharmacy England (CPE) found that nearly half of pharmacy owners had been forced to remortgage their homes or raid personal savings in the last year to subsidise the cost of medicines for patients, with services being put at risk.

Pharmacy leaders are warning that pharmacies in England are still ‘teetering on the brink' despite a much-needed uplift in their funding announced earlier this year.

The survey by CPE found that:

• 37% of pharmacies were unable to pay wholesaler bills on time, who supply pharmacies with prescription medication for patients
• 45% of pharmacies have relied on personal savings or remortgaged their homes in the last year to subsidise their pharmacy
• Only 6% of pharmacy owners said their pharmacies were profitable, with over half (51%) saying they were losing money.

Meanwhile, a survey by the NPA found that:

• 63% of pharmacies believed they would have to close for good in the next 12 months without additional financial support from the government, risking vital services to patients
• 94% of pharmacies said the latest funding settlement did not bring stability to their finances.

This comes as new NPA analysis of NHS figures show that an additional 72 pharmacies closed this year so far in England, around two a week or 10 a month.

Pharmacy leaders have said that the 10-Year Health Plan represents a once in generation opportunity to transfer care into the community and expand the role of community pharmacy, but this could not be realised without bringing stability to pharmacy finances.

Pharmacy leaders are calling on the NHS and Government to increase core funding to reflect the true cost of delivering services and to secure the long-term sustainability of the community pharmacy network.

The full impact of funding increases announced in April are yet to be fully felt, but the figures show that services to patients remain under strain.

Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: ‘The NHS 10-Year plan is a historic opportunity to finally shift care into communities and expand the role of community pharmacy in a way we have never seen before. However, this cannot be done whilst pharmacies are unable to pay their bills and keep their doors open.

‘To fully realise this massive opportunity and revolutionise care for patients, we need additional funding to stabilise the pharmacy network and allow pharmacies to invest in new services.'

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, added: ‘The survey reveals a deeply concerning trend of pharmacy owners fighting to keep their business afloat, and facing disastrous personal financial situations as a consequence. It is unthinkable that entrepreneurial, patient-facing health professionals who have spent their lives providing high-quality NHS services, are being left in this very desperate position. Pharmacy owners should not be subsidising NHS services from their own pockets. They should be focusing on supporting patients and planning for the future, not worrying about how to keep the lights on.

‘Despite a very welcome funding uplift this April, our latest polling results from that month show that the pressures are ongoing. This remains a frightening time for very many pharmacy owners, who have put their personal financial situations on the line to keep serving their patients and local communities, and we can expect to see further steps taken by pharmacies to survive, with an inevitable and negative impact on patients and other primary care providers.'