England’s most deprived areas are bearing the brunt of pharmacy closures, new research from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed.
Nearly 75% of the top 50 hardest-hit areas have above-average deprivation, with Liverpool, York, Blackpool, Wakefield, Coventry, and Kingston Upon Hull among the worst affected.
Since 2016, almost 1,400 pharmacies have shut, leaving communities struggling to access essential medicines.
Despite a recent funding boost, pharmacies face a £2.6bn shortfall caused by historic 40% budget cuts, while the average pharmacy now dispenses 30% more prescriptions than four years ago.
Many owners are keeping doors open with personal savings or remortgaging homes, yet 63% fear closure within a year without urgent support.
The NPA are calling on the Government to provide an urgent funding uplift or risk the NHS’s 10 Year Plan ‘failing before it has even begun’.
Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, commented: ‘These new findings are concerning and highlight a deepening challenge in access to vital healthcare services in the communities that need them the most. The disproportionate impact of pharmacy closures on more deprived areas risks widening already stark health inequalities.’
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