High Wycombe pharmacy owner highlights growing financial strain amid national pharmacy crisis
The National Pharmacy Association is calling for a £1.3 billion funding increase from the Government
A pharmacy owner in High Wycombe is among hundreds up and down the country feeling frustrated and overworked, as they call for an increase in funding.
Khal Kaliq, superintendent pharmacist and managing director of Lansdales Pharmacy in High Wycombe, spoke out about the severe financial challenges facing pharmacies.
While he has owned his pharmacy for 25 years, and another three located across Buckinghamshire in Penn, Aylesbury and Holmer Green, he told Greatest Hits Radio the situation they are in today has never been so precarious.
He said: "I can’t remember a time when I felt this anxious about paying staff or keeping the business going.
"We just want fair funding for the essential services we provide. Our patients deserve that."
Citing stagnant funding, rising operational costs, and mounting closures, Mr Kaliq warned that without urgent intervention, many more community pharmacies could be forced to shut their doors, directly affecting patient care.
The issue, as he explained, stems from a pharmacy contract that was set several years ago, which has not been adjusted to account for inflation or rising expenses.
He said: "We've had no increases for inflation, cost of living, or other rising expenses like minimum wage and energy bills.
"The shortfall is estimated to be around 40% compared to when the contract was first negotiated."
As a result, an average of 7-8 pharmacies are closing each week, according to Kaliq, and the financial strain is being felt across the country.
"Some pharmacists I know have had to dip into their savings or re-mortgage their homes to keep their businesses running," he said.
A key challenge is the unpredictable and often insufficient reimbursement pharmacies receive for dispensing NHS medicines.
Among those are vital medicines needed for patients who may be receiving daily care.
Mr Kaliq said: "There’s a blood-thinning medication called Apixaban, which is in short supply at the moment.
"The reimbursement price for that is £2.20, yet we've been paying up to £19 a packet for it. You can't tell a patient they can’t have their medicine because we’re not funded correctly."
Despite feedback from the sector, the government's reimbursement system often leaves pharmacies dispensing medicines at a loss.
"By the time the government decides what they'll pay, you've already spent a month supplying that medication. You have no choice but to take the hit," Mr Kaliq explained.
The National Pharmacy Association, which represents over 6,000 community pharmacies, has launched a ballot asking its members whether they would support reducing services or hours unless the government increases funding
While the NPA’s ballot is advisory, it marks the first time the association has taken such a step.
Potential "work-to-rule" actions could include pharmacies opening only for their minimum contractual hours and withdrawing services like free medication deliveries, emergency contraception, and smoking cessation support.
However, for Mr Kaliq, cutting services would be a last resort.
He said: "We deliver up to 150 medications a day, and some of those patients wouldn’t be able to get their medicines otherwise.
"We see our patients as an extension of our family. It’s emotionally difficult to even think about stopping those services."
The NPA has called for a £1.3 billion funding increase to stabilise the sector.
NPA Chief Executive Paul Rees said: "Pharmacies are routinely required to dispense NHS medicines at a loss. It pains us to take this step, but pharmacies are being pushed to the brink by a decade of real-terms cuts."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Pharmacies are key to making healthcare fit for the future as we shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community.
"We will make better use of pharmacists' skills, including accelerating the rollout of independent prescribing to improve access to care."