Community pharmacists pay for their patients' drugs

Community pharmacists say they are under severe financial pressure due to an "utterly broken" payment system.

A mismatch between the price of some medicines and the amount that pharmacists are reimbursed by the government means that many are under financial pressure and making a loss, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).

Olivier Picard, a pharmacist in Berkshire, said it is not "a sustainable model" and the NPA said many are paying out of their own pockets to ensure patients get the medicines they need.

A government spokesperson said "we already reimburse community pharmacies for what they spend on drugs".

The NPA said that the health system is underpaying pharmacies for medicines by as much as £75 a pack.

Mr Picard said: "The discrepancy between the prices is huge.

"A couple of months ago, we were losing £20 a packet on a medicine for stroke prevention.

"The next month, we lost money on something that you give as an antidepressant.

"Sometimes it'll be a few pence, sometimes it'll be several pounds."

He said: "There are some months where I am out of pocket by £1,000 per pharmacy - I have got four pharmacies.

"It is not a sustainable model. It is not something that I can continue doing.

"Every month we dispense at a loss for dozens of medications."

The NPA said financial pressure on pharmacies has forced 1,500 to close permanently in England in the past decade.

Paul Rees, NPA chief executive, added: "It is nothing short of a national scandal that pharmacies have to dig deep into their own pockets just to cover the cost of basic medicines that they dispense to patients in need of treatment.

"No other health professional would be asked to subsidise a key NHS service."

"The system for funding the medicines upon which millions of patients rely is utterly broken."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "This government... is committed to expanding the role of pharmacists.

"We already reimburse community pharmacies for what they spend on drugs and provide additional funding for the services they provide.

"There are also safeguards in place if purchase prices for a given drug increase."

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