Patients Face Long Journeys For Medicines As Pharmacies Cut Weekend Hours

People who request to get medicine astatine nan play are having to undertake agelong trips because much pharmacies are cutting their opening hours connected Saturdays and Sundays.

One successful six pharmacies successful England person reduced their hours astatine weekends since 2022, pinch immoderate shutting altogether, arsenic a consequence of “unsustainable” pressures connected their budgets.

The cuts mean that wide much than 20% of play opening hours person been lost, which has near drugstore services progressively unavailable, according to nan National Pharmacy Association (NPA).

That has forced immoderate patients to spell to an A&E aliases urgent curen centre to get nan morning-after pill, aliases an emergency medicine aliases proposal connected really to dainty a insignificant ailment.

Rural areas specified arsenic Devon, Cornwall and nan Lake District were peculiarly affected, though successful cities specified arsenic Manchester and Leeds location had besides been little play opening, nan NPA said.

It cited really St Ives successful Cornwall utilized to person 3 pharmacies, 1 of which opened astatine nan weekend. But 2 of them unopen and nan sole surviving drugstore does not run connected Saturday aliases Sunday. People successful nan municipality needing thief now person to spell to Hayle aliases Penzance.

Similarly, group successful Windermere successful Cumbria w person to undertake a 10-mile (16km) thrust to nan nearest drugstore that is unfastened connected a Sunday, which takes 25 minutes by car aliases 45 minutes by nationalist transport.

Patient groups said nan inclination had near abnormal people, displacement workers and those without a car aliases bully nationalist carrier links struggling to entree narcotics they request astatine nan weekend.

The NPA main executive, Olivier Picard, said: “This is yet much grounds that nan drugstore web successful England is creaking astatine nan seams aft facing heavy cuts complete a number of years. Sadly nan existent losers are nan millions of patients these pharmacies serve, peculiarly those successful agrarian areas, who are forced to recreation agelong distances aliases moreover spell to infirmary if they request a medicine aliases proposal for a insignificant wellness rumor connected a Sunday aliases precocious astatine night.”

Rebecca Curtayne, nan caput of nationalist affairs astatine Healthwatch England, nan NHS diligent watchdog, said: “People trust connected their section drugstore for timely proposal and basal medication, truthful cuts to play opening hours are very worrying. We are already proceeding from group astir longer journeys to find an unfastened pharmacy, peculiarly successful agrarian areas, and this creates existent difficulties for those pinch constricted mobility aliases nary entree to transport.

“It is nary astonishment that immoderate group extremity up turning to different parts of nan NHS erstwhile they cannot get nan thief they request successful their community.”

About 1,550 pharmacies successful England had unopen altogether since 2017, besides arsenic a nonstop consequence of authorities underfunding of drugstore services, nan NPA said. The money they received from nan NHS – for dispensing prescriptions, providing vaccinations and different services – had fallen by 40% successful existent position since 2016, leaving galore incapable to supply nan opening hours they utilized to, it added.

Patients’ trouble accessing drugstore attraction astatine nan play risked undermining nan government’s extremity of ramping up community-based care, nan Patients Association said. Rachel Power, its main executive, said: “When pharmacies adjacent their doors aliases trim opening hours, patients salary nan price. In immoderate instances, section drugstore is nan only larboard of telephone for patients successful need.

“For displacement workers, for group successful deprived areas, for anyone without a car aliases bully nationalist transport, nan section drugstore is simply a lifeline that tin forestall unnecessary trips to spot a GP aliases to nan hospital. When nan doorway to section drugstore closes, nan doorway to healthcare often closes pinch it. That is unacceptable. The government’s ambition to move attraction person to location needs section drugstore to make it work.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Community pharmacies are a captious beforehand doorway to nan NHS, which is why this authorities has provided them pinch nan largest backing uplift of immoderate portion of nan NHS complete nan past 2 years – reaching a full of £3.1bn.

“We are presently consulting pinch Community Pharmacy England connected backing arrangements for adjacent twelvemonth and we will proceed to make judge hard-working pharmacists tin connection patients much attraction person to location arsenic portion of our 10-year wellness plan.”