NI pharmacies to ‘turn out the lights’ on June 20 in ‘emergency’ protest

Harkin's and Glass Pharmacies in Maghera will be joining the One Day to #SaveOurPharmacies protest on June 20 to highlight the crisis of unstable NHS funding in community pharmacy

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) announced a “day of protest action” to highlight the “emergency across the community pharmacy sector”

It called on pharmacies across the UK to take part in the One Day to #SaveOurPharmacies protest on June 20 by taking a “a range of symbolic actions that signify dark times for the beleaguered community pharmacy sector”.

The NPA said pharmacies are experiencing extremely uncertain times, severe financial problems and are under huge pressure. Over 1,400 pharmacies have closed across the UK in the last 10 years. The medicines shortages crisis means pharmacy teams are sometimes spending hours trying to secure patients’ medications.

Patients will be invited to sign a petition in pharmacies, calling on the government and NHS officials to support and sustain pharmacies. The NPA said that despite the symbolic action, pharmacies will “remain open, as always, to serve our patients and the wider community.”

Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said: “Community pharmacies across the UK are in crisis and this is a national emergency. Our 6,000 member pharmacies and many others are saying ‘enough is enough’. Community pharmacies provide essential frontline health services, but they are being driven to the brink. That’s why we’re supporting this day of action and calling on the government to take action to protect our pharmacies.”

Vincent Harkin of Harkin’s and Glass Pharmacies in Maghera, said they are supporting the campaign to “highlight the ongoing underfunding crisis in community pharmacy - which has gone unnoticed for far too long.”

"We have slipped into an area where pharmacists are having to subsidise the cost of patients’ medication on a daily basis. NHS funding is typically only enough to cover costs for the first three weeks of any month, leaving us with no option but to subsidise the rest. It’s patently wrong, unsustainable and taking advantage that we are the open-door health service for patients in the local community. This is compounded by a severe pharmacist and support staff shortage within pharmacy. The situation is critical, it is entirely inadequate and requires immediate review. There has never been such stress and demoralisation in community pharmacy."

In January 2023 Northern Ireland had 526 community pharmacies, however since then 15 have closed. People in Northern Ireland live, on average, less than one mile from a community pharmacy.

The NPA said patients who wish to show their support for their local pharmacies can share their thoughts on social media #SaveOurPharmacies. The date of June 20 has been chosen as that is the beginning of the fourth working week of the month and the day from which the average UK pharmacy will then be loss-making. The NPA said there is typically only enough NHS funding to cover costs for the first three weeks of any month – after which core NHS services, including dispensing NHS prescriptions, are effectively subsidised by the business.