Latest news with #CommunityPharmacyEngland
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Medicine Shortages Leave Pharmacies at ‘Breaking Point'
Continuing problems with the supply of medicines have become a 'distressing new normal' for community pharmacies and patients, according to a report by Community Pharmacy England (CPE). The organisation said that the supply chain is 'stuck at breaking point' and warned of a growing risk to patient health and increased workload and stress for its members. The 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey found that 87% of pharmacy staff now face daily supply issues – up from 67% in 2022. The survey gathered responses from owners of over 4300 pharmacy premises and 1600 team members. The CPE called for urgent action to address shortages. The report follows a warning in March from the Centre for Long-Term Resilience (CLTR), which said the UK is 'perilously vulnerable' to disruptions of critical medical countermeasures. These included shortages of critical antibiotics such as gentamicin. Serious Shortage Protocols Extended A growing number of essential medications are now covered by Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs). SSPs allow pharmacists to either substitute a prescription with an alternative agent for one month, or to supply a reduced quantity that is in stock without a new GP prescription. In the past year, they have been issued for: Earlier this month, the government extended the current Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for Creon, a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) warned that some patients were rationing doses, skipping meals, or travelling long distances to access the medicine. Rising Aggression and Workload The Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024, published in May last year, identified a 'beyond critical' situation, with most pharmacies impacted by supply disruptions. It said patients were forced to play 'pharmacy bingo' in their search for medications. Some were directing their anger towards staff, the CPE warned then. The latest CPE report found that: 96% of pharmacy team members had encountered patient frustration in response to supply issues. 86% of pharmacy owners said that shortages were leading patients to have to visit multiple pharmacies in search of medicines. 79% of team members reported incidents of aggression when medicines were unavailable or delayed. Supply issues have also worsened, with 80% of pharmacy owners encountering daily wholesaler shortages and 26% reporting daily supply chain failures. Most (74%) pharmacy owners reported that their staff were having to spend longer than ever before on medicines procurement, with 39% spending one to two hours daily sourcing alternative medicines. More than 90% of pharmacy staff reported increased workload and stress because of supply problems. Patient Safety at Risk CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said the survey showed that 'as medicine supply issues remain a daily reality across the country, the risk to patient health has become a distressing new normal'. The survey results 'suggest a system that is stuck at breaking point', she said. Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA, which represents over 6000 independent community pharmacies, said that staff were 'at the sharp end of medicines shortages' and often forced to turn patients away despite having safe alternatives in stock. 'It is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed,' Picard said. 'It risks a patient either delaying taking vital medication or forgoing it altogether, which poses a clear risk to patient safety.' Picard endorsed the CPE's call for the government to give greater flexibility to pharmacists to use their professional judgment to supply an appropriate alternative medication when the prescribed version is unavailable. Louise Ansari, chief executive of Healthwatch England, also supported giving pharmacists more autonomy. She said allowing substitutions with patient consent — where clinically safe — could ease pressure on patients and services. 'Providing clear guidance to the public on what steps to take if their medication is unavailable is crucial,' she added.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Drug shortages causing ‘unprecedented' issues for patients
Medicine shortages are now a "distressing new normal" for patients, posing a significant risk to public health, pharmacists have warned. A new report from Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which represents over 10,000 community pharmacies, highlighted the "unprecedented" issues patients are facing due to a lack of available drugs. The organisation's survey, which polled more than 4,300 pharmacy owners and 1,600 pharmacy workers across England, found the situation to be worse than when a similar assessment was conducted three years ago. It found: Some 95 per cent of pharmacy workers said patients are still being inconvenienced by ongoing shortages, while 73 per cent said supply issues are putting patient's health at risk; Many are faced with frustrated patients, with 79 per cent reporting incidents of patient aggression when medicines were unavailable or delayed; Some 86 per cent of pharmacy owners said shortages are leading patients to visit multiple pharmacies in search of medicines; Looking for medicines is time-consuming for staff, with 39 per cent of pharmacy staff now spending one to two hours every day trying to get hold of drugs, with more than a quarter (26 per cent) spending longer than two hours; Almost half (49 per cent) of pharmacy owners said patient services are being negatively affected by pressures on their business, and 94 per cent link this directly to medicine supply problems. Community Pharmacy England said that, in the last year alone, the Government has issued serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for key medicines used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, angina, HRT, antibiotics such as cefalexin and clarithromycin, and medicines for cardiovascular disease and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. There are also ongoing shortages of drugs for ADHD, diabetes and epilepsy, it said. SSPs occur to identify alternative drugs or quantity that may be supplied if a medicine is out of stock. Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: 'Our survey shows that as medicine supply issues remain a daily reality across the country, the risk to patient health has become a distressing new normal. 'Delays in receiving medicines not only disrupt patients' treatment but can also cause unnecessary stress and potential harm to their health. 'The ongoing time and effort required to manage shortages also adds pressure on pharmacy teams, who are already working at full stretch. 'Our survey results suggest a system stuck that is stuck at breaking point.' She said the problems were caused by issues ranging from product discontinuations to global supply chain challenges. 'We also believe that consistently low medicine prices in the UK have made the market less appealing to manufacturers, further weakening the resilience of the supply system,' she said. 'The future is uncertain, with expected drug price inflation and potential knock-on effects across the NHS, but we welcome the Government's commitment to ongoing work to shore up supply chain resilience and will be monitoring the situation.' When compared with 2022, the 2025 survey found a worsening picture, with 51 per cent of pharmacy teams in 2022 saying patients were being negatively affected by supply delays, rising to 73 per cent in 2025. Supply issues were also more frequent, while teams are spending longer trying to sort them out. Fin McCaul, a community pharmacy owner in Greater Manchester, said: 'It's not just a matter of running out of stock: patients are rightly frustrated, and their health is being harmed. 'Our teams are caught in the middle, spending hours calling suppliers and contacting GPs, trying to find alternatives, while also trying to keep patients informed. 'The constant uncertainty is affecting both our staff and patients, and each year it only seems to get worse.' It comes as a Healthwatch England survey of more than 7,000 adults found one in four continue to report medicine shortages, while issues such as prescription delays, pharmacy closures, and affordability are on the rise. Some 18 per cent reported prescription errors, 5 per cent were worried about cost and 9 per cent reported unexpected pharmacy closures. The poll also suggested people are not always aware of the conditions that pharmacists can treat in order to avoid a trip to the GP. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'This government inherited ongoing global supply problems, but we have robust measures in place to mitigate disruption for patients. 'We are working to build the resilience of medicine supply chains and prevent future disruption as we get the NHS back on its feet. 'We have recently agreed an extra £617 million of funding over two years with Community Pharmacy England to help community pharmacies, support the sector and provide patients with greater services closer to home. 'Deliberate violence or abuse directed at healthcare staff is unacceptable and all staff, including pharmacists and their teams, deserve to work in a safe and secure environment.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Somerset MP welcomes £800 million funding for community pharmacies
A Somerset MP has welcomed an £800 million boost for community pharmacy funding. Rachel Gilmour, Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has consistently called for improvements and praised the government's pharmacy settlement. The funding uplift was announced on Monday, March 31, on the government website. It comes as a result of a six-week consultation between the Department for Health and Social Care and Community Pharmacy England. Alongside the funding increase, the government will also write off £193 million of debt for community pharmacy owners, providing them with a fresh start for the new financial year beginning on Monday, April 1. The increase marks the government's initial efforts to address years of underfunding, which have led to significant financial shortfalls in the sector. This announcement will also see the continuation of Pharmacy First services, with antidepressants and an emergency contraception service set to be added to the New Medicine Service from October 2025. Ms Gilmour said: "I welcome the government's funding announcements today, which will see pharmacies across the UK receive the largest uplift in funding across the whole of the NHS. "This fantastic news, and it is clear the government has listened to the repeated calls from me and my colleagues to close the pharmacy funding gap." She highlighted that last year she secured a Westminster Hall debate on community pharmacies, where she pointed out the vital work done by pharmacies across her constituency. Ms Gilmour mentioned that 56 million people across the UK use pharmacies as their first point of contact annually. She added that despite this, in under a decade, the proportion of NHS funding for pharmacies has fallen from 2.4 per cent to 1.6 per cent. According to her, an average pharmacy relies on NHS funding for 90 per cent of its income. Ms Gilmour believes that this new funding will have a positive impact on the NHS in the long run. However, she noted that Community Pharmacy England has stated that these new measures will not address the entire funding gap. She stressed that this still needs to be looked at by the government. Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: "With the highest funding uplift across the NHS, this settlement is a welcome first step towards sustainability and will bring some positive clinical service extensions for patients. "But it does not fill the full pharmacy funding gap. "Crucially, the settlement comes with a firm commitment from government to work towards a sustainable funding and operating model for the sector, and we will continue to work with Government to ensure that this happens."
