Pressures Survey underlines financial crisis in pharmacy

Community pharmacies across England are still facing severe financial losses, with patients increasingly feeling the impact through delays to medicines and reduced access to care, this year’s Pharmacy Pressures Survey has shown.

The owners of more than 2,900 pharmacies, along with 900 pharmacy team members, took part in this year’s survey which provides clear evidence of the continuing strain on pharmacies and all those who work in or rely on them.

Community Pharmacy England has released the findings of the 2026 survey today and is using the results to brief both the national media and MPs on the scale of the crisis that pharmacies are facing. Pharmacy owners can support this effort by amplifying our messages on social media and writing to their local MP (see Resources below).

The results are a clear warning to Government of how much is at risk and we are using them in all our influencing work as we make the case for a sustainable future for community pharmacy.

Chief Executive’s Blog: Pressures Survey results are a clear warning to Government

Watch our animation on the Pressures Survey

Key Survey Findings

The results of the Pressures Survey once again paint a stark picture of the realities of working in or owning a community pharmacy business.

Some key findings from the survey include:

• 75% of community pharmacies are losing money and only 14% are profitable.
• 7% of pharmacies report rising costs and 99% say medicine reimbursement prices do not cover costs.
• Many pharmacies are having to take on additional financing, and 11% have not been able to pay wholesaler bills on time. 
• 42% of pharmacies have reduced their opening hours, while some pharmacies have had to stop providing services such as vaccinations and Pharmacy First.
• 76% report impacts on patient care, including longer waits, delays in accessing medicines, and reduced responsiveness.
• Medicine shortages are widespread, with 86% spending longer sourcing medicines than in previous years.

Read the national press release

Briefing: Pharmacy owner survey results

Briefing: Pharmacy teams survey results

Community Pharmacy England Statements

Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy England, said:

“The Pressures Survey findings confirm what pharmacy owners and all our analysis have already been telling us: that pharmacies are not sustainable and that the pressures on them are directly affecting patient access to medicines and care. Rising costs, medicines supply problems and increasing workload leave pharmacy owners making difficult decisions just to keep their businesses running, all of which goes directly against Government’s ambitions to shift more healthcare, closer to home.

Without further investment, pharmacy closures will continue and this will have very worrying consequences for pharmacy owners and their teams, but also for patients and the public, impacting their access to medicines and advice directly. We know that closures often happen in areas where healthcare support is needed most, so this will worsen health inequalities. Further closures will also be devastating for wider local healthcare networks who will struggle to pick up the slack – pressure on GPs and hospitals will increase. And our local high streets, as well as local employment, will suffer.

For all their sakes, and for the future of the NHS, community pharmacies need a sustainable future: meaning investment alongside a clear long-term plan for the sector.”

Dervis Gurol, Community pharmacy owner and superintendent pharmacist based in the South East of England, said:

“The pressure of being a pharmacy owner now is enormous: on the financial side, many colleagues have had to rely on additional financing and personal savings simply to cover day-to-day costs and bills, and that cannot go on much longer. This sort of worry has huge mental health implications and I know many pharmacy owners are seeing their health worsen as a consequence of long-term stress.

As well as the impact on patients and local communities, all pharmacy owners worry about what closure of the business would mean for their staff, for the wider health network and of course for local high streets, some of which could not survive another vacant building. We urgently need a pathway to a sustainable future.”

Fin McCaul, Community pharmacy owner based in Greater Manchester, said:

“People rely on us every day for advice, treatment and support. Our teams work incredibly hard to provide this and to support patients in our communities, but we are increasingly being diverted away from patient care. We regularly spend many extra hours every week dealing with medicines supply issues. It’s frustrating work for staff, and it can be unpleasant where patients are understandably upset and anxious about delays receiving medicines they need and take it out on the team. And then we can end up dispensing it at a loss to the business, which is totally unsustainable.

I strongly feel that our current funding does not reflect the real-world pressures we face, including inflation, staffing costs, rent, utilities and medicines costs. This needs to be fixed. Pharmacies need to be supported for the full contribution we make to patients, local communities and the NHS.”

Take Part: Help raise awareness of the pressures

Community Pharmacy England has been working to secure national media coverage of the pressures survey findings, and we will also be briefing MPs from the national perspective. All of this forms part of our ongoing work to make the case for a sustainable future for community pharmacy.

Pharmacy owners and LPCs are encouraged to support this work and could consider the following actions:

• Write to your MP and ask them to visit your pharmacy to learn firsthand about the mounting challenges. You can use our latest Local MP Engagement Guide and could also send them the link to the animation or our MP Briefing Note.
• Add your voice on social media. Please look out for posts from @CommPharmEngland and repost these, or add your comments. You could also post about our animation or infographic. Use our Social Media Guide, which includes suggested copy and social media assets to help you.
• Support our media work. You can add your name to our list of media spokespeople by emailing team@cpe.org.uk or use our Media Interviews Guidance if you are asked to comment on the survey findings.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our 2026 Pharmacy Pressures Survey.