Countdown to pharmacies' protest over funding

About 6,000 community pharmacies in England are being advised to start working to rule in two weeks, unless an agreement can be reached with the government on a new NHS contract.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is urging its members to take action because they have yet to receive any confirmation of an increase in funding for this or next financial year.

Action could involve reducing their opening hours and cutting other services, such as delivering medicines to people's homes.

The government said the move would cause "unnecessary disruption for patients" and a settlement with pharmacies was already being worked on.

A pharmacy's NHS contract accounts for about 90% of its revenue, on average.

And with increases in National Insurance, the National Living Wage and business rates, from 1 April, pharmacies say the lack of agreement over their contract is causing worry and uncertainty.

This comes on top of a decade of cuts to funding, which has seen 30 pharmacies close since the start of this year, the NPA says.

Some 3,000 pharmacy owners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland voted in favour of action, in November.

This could involve cutting pharmacy opening times to 40 hours a week, which is the minimum set out in the current NHS contract, with shops less likely to be open at weekends and in the evenings.

Pharmacies may also decide to stop offering other services not in their current contract, such as stop smoking and addiction support, and emergency contraception.

Nick Kaye, who chairs the NPA, said pharmacies had been "left with little choice".

"It is better that we temporarily reduce access in the short term than to let pharmacies collapse altogether under the weight of unsustainable operating costs," he said.

There had been little feedback from ministers and the impact of the current uncertainty was "devastating" for pharmacies, Mr Kaye added.

"We want to get on with seeing patients, pay our staff, not have to think about closing, and invest in our business for the future."

The Department of Health and Social Care said pharmacies had a vital role to play as the NHS's focus shifted away from hospitals and into the community - and negotiations over a contract were making progress.

"The National Pharmacy Association's pre-emptive action will cause unnecessary disruption for patients and we urge them to reconsider," an official said.

Healthwatch England, which records the experiences and concerns of people who use health and social-care services, urged the government to conclude negotiations with pharmacies as soon as possible.

Benedict Knox, from Healthwatch England, said many patients had seen their local pharmacy close or experience disruptions due to staff shortages.

"This issue especially impacts older people and is particularly acute in rural areas, where people often have to travel further to visit their pharmacist," he said.

But he stressed not every community pharmacy was an NPA member and it was up to each one to decide if they would reduce services.

There are about 10,500 pharmacies in England, according to Community Pharmacy England, which represents all pharmacy owners.