THE number of pharmacies in England could fall to its lowest levels since 2005, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned.

There are currently 10,054 pharmacies in England but the organisation has claimed seven have closed a week in 2024.

Additionally, more than 1,500 have shut since 2015 with the causes being related to cuts in pharmacy budgets and the increased cost of medicine.

The analysis found that if these trends continue, pharmacy numbers could fall below 10,000 for the first time since 2005, when there were 9,872 pharmacies in England.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: “2005 saw the launch of YouTube, McFly making number one in the charts, and George W Bush inaugurated for his second term as US president.

“Now is not the time to allow a vital part of NHS local services to decline to levels not seen since the dawn of social media."

Mr Rees also emphasised how important it was to prevent the "ongoing collapse of community pharmacy".

He made the point that pharmacies help support GPs and the NHS by lifting some pressure from them and helping them cut their waiting times by providing immediate care for patients.

Pharmacy opening times have also been impacted within the last 10 years, with 63% having cut them since 2015 whilst only 2.5% have increased them.

In 2015, pharmacies were open for an average of 54.2 hours a week compared to 48.1 hours in 2024, according to the NPA.

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Government says pharmacies have been neglected for years

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that the Government has "inherited a broken NHS" and that "pharmacies have been neglected for years".

They added: "Pharmacies are key to our plans to make healthcare fit for the future, as we shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community.

“We will expand the role of pharmacies – making better use of pharmacists’ skills, including accelerating the rollout of independent prescribing.”