West Berkshire has fewest pharmacies per head in the country, as national body says ‘the Government needs to act now to stabilise the pharmacy network’
West Berkshire has the lowest provision of pharmacies per head in the country.
New figures show the district has over four times fewer pharmacies per 100,000 of the population than Westminster, the area with the highest provision.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which represents independent community pharmacies, warned that many rural areas could risk being left with little or no pharmacy provision at all without urgent action from the government, potentially forcing vulnerable or older residents to travel long distances to get hold of vital medication or treatment.
The new analysis, published today (Monday), has shown that West Berkshire has the lowest number of pharmacies per 100,000 of their population in the country, shortly followed by Central Bedfordshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, with all areas having seen pharmacies close in the last two years.
The analysis also shows that Plymouth has seen the highest number of pharmacy closures per 100,000 of its population.
Over 90 per cent of an average community pharmacy’s income is dependent on funding from the NHS, including for the dispending of medication and the Pharmacy First programme.
Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “These shocking statistics show how a growing number of areas are at risk of becoming pharmacy deserts, with people in rural towns and villages having to travel longer and longer distances to get hold of the medication they need.
“Many pharmacies are on the brink because of a decade of real term cuts, creating a material threat to the security of medicine supply in some areas if closures continue.
“It is also deeply concerning to see higher levels of pharmacy closures in deprived council areas, which has undermined government efforts to tackle health inequalities after the pandemic.
“The Government needs to act now to stabilise the pharmacy network and lay out a route map for a properly funded future or they will put the supply of medicine to some areas at risk.
“Ministers must provide pharmacies with a new deal to fix the current broken contract now. This will halt the closures and allow pharmacies to deliver first class accessible healthcare on people’s doorsteps.”
The analysis is based on pharmacy provision in 143 upper tier local authority areas in England. The data weights the number of pharmacies by per 100,000 population of the local authority to account for variations in population. The population data is based on the 2021 ONS census.
Four pharmacies have closed in Newbury and Thatcham since the West Berkshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment was originally carried out in 2022, including:
* The Lloyds Pharmacy in the Kingsland Centre, Thatcham, which closed in August 2022
* The Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s, Hector Way, Newbury, which closed in April 2022.
* The Superdrug Pharmacy in Northbrook Street, Newbury, which closed in September 2023
* Boots Pharmacy at Thatcham Medical Centre, which closed in February 2024.
But since then, two new pharmacies have opened.
Halo Pharmacy opened in Crown Mead – in place of the old Lloyds Pharmacy – and Thatcham Pharmacy has opened at Burdwood Centre, also where a Lloyds used to sit.
