Pharmacies cut services and opening hours as Reeves's tax raid bites
Thousands of pharmacies are preparing to reduce opening hours and cut free home prescription deliveries as Rachel Reeves's tax raid bites.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has told its 6,000 member pharmacies in England to start scaling back services from April 1, when a wave of new costs come in.
The NPA said almost all of its pharmacies were considering reducing opening hours, while 93pc plan to cut back on free home deliveries of medicines.
Charities warned that the changes would harm patients and the elderly, with potentially 'tragic consequences'.
The changes are being made as pharmacies face a £310m increase in costs as a result of the Chancellor's decision to raise National Insurance for employers, increase the minimum wage and push through business rate changes. The changes take effect from April.
Nick Kaye, the NPA's chairman, said: 'This is not a step any one of us wants to take, but we have been left with little choice because in just two weeks new business costs will be hitting local NHS pharmacies across the country.'
Up to 90pc of pharmacies' income comes from providing NHS services, including dispensing medicines and seasonal vaccinations. The arrangement leaves the sector highly dependent on NHS funding.
The Government is yet to confirm its funding offer for pharmacies for either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 financial years. Years of real-term funding cuts have already led more than 1,500 pharmacies to close across England since 2015.
Mr Kaye said: 'We hope that an offer from the Government emerges by April 1 to cover the additional costs which pharmacies will face and start to plug the huge gap in funding created by 10 years of real-terms cuts.'
The NPA said the situation 'may jeopardise patient safety if a resolution is not found'.
The warning has triggered concerns from consumer groups and charities.
Dennis Reed, the director of Silver Voices, a pensioners' advocacy group, said: 'We urge local pharmacists not to cut back on home deliveries as this could have tragic consequences for those older people who are too sick and frail to leave their home.'
Caroline Abrahams, Age UK's charity director, said pharmacists played an extremely important role for older people's health, in both dispensing medicines and providing reassurance and advice.
Ministers have pushed for pharmacies to play a greater role in healthcare in recent years in an effort to ease pressure on the NHS. Patients are able to get treatment for various common conditions without having to see a GP.
Ms Abrahams said: 'Community pharmacies should be supported to play their role in preventing and tackling ill-health amongst people of all ages, particularly in the places where primary care services are under the greatest pressure.'
A spokesman for Healthwatch England, a patients' group, said: 'If a community pharmacy does decide to cut its hours or services, it's vital that it tells people in advance and advises them about where else they can go.'
The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.
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