The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) have jointly written to NHS England, demanding the immediate release of the independent economic analysis of pharmacy finances commissioned last autumn.
An open letter, signed by the owners of 3,034 pharmacies in England, calls for transparency on the funding gap amid ongoing contract negotiations.
The associations argued that withholding this analysis conceals the true extent of the sector’s financial plight from contractors and parliamentarians.
“We believe publishing this analysis now will help Ministers, the NHS and pharmacies chart a way to securing the stable and sustainable pharmacy network that our patients so desperately need,” they wrote.
IPA Chief Executive, Leyla Hannbeck, emphasised that the Independent Economic Review by Frontier Economics was commissioned to show “the true financial state of community pharmacy in England.”
“The Government officials now know the full picture of debt and suffering that years of underfunding and poor policies have imposed on these caring professionals,” she said, warning that the sector faces “collapse and ruin” as that debt is predicted to escalate.
She urged NHSE to reveal the truth by publishing the review’s findings, and staying true to the government’s promises to “stop this culling for pharmacy and patients alike.”
NPA Chair Nick Kaye echoed these concerns, stating that the analysis would expose “the true and devastating extent to which funding for community pharmacy falls short.”
“The hundreds of pharmacy owners signing the open letter agree with us that pharmacies, patients and the public’s representatives in parliament should be allowed to see this vital information without further delay.
“There is no justification for the public to be kept in the dark on an issue of such national significance,” he added.
Kaye highlighted millions of people rely on a sustainable pharmacy network for life-saving medication and convenient clinical care, and that “they should not be denied the full facts of this dire situation.”
“Ultimately, the aim is to ensure that pharmacies are protected in the interests of patients, and that we move forward with Wes Streeting’s vision of a health system with care focused in the community.
“To do that everyone needs to be honest about the scale of the problem we face so we can solve it together,” he added.
The associations insisted that there is “no justification” for delaying publication of this report, whether or not consultations on funding are under way.
The signatures were collected in just five days, between 5 and 10 March.
Read the joint letter here...
Community pharmacy is key to a primary care of the future that focuses on prevention
Santosh Sahu
