Pharmacy funding crisis drives business closures

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland say they are dispensing prescription drugs at a loss because they are not being fully reimbursed.

Siobhan McNulty, who runs Melvin Pharmacy in Garrison, Co Fermanagh, says she relies on the sale of makeup and gifts to “keep the ship going” and subsidize the cost of dispensing prescriptions.

A DoH spokesperson said the department has developed a strategic plan that includes an increase in base funding for pharmacies.

Community Pharmacy NI says the funding crisis has led to the closure of almost a dozen pharmacies in the past 18 months.

The organization says no contracts have been concluded for more than 14 years and has called on the Department of Health (DoH) to implement a medicines tariff specific to Northern Ireland.

Ms McNulty said she had to limit the supply of a vital cholesterol drug to patients after the cost rose from £1 to £2 per box of 28 tablets to £17.

“The department usually catches up with the price increase eventually, but at a time they want to, so I may have already given out 100 boxes of it before I got reimbursed for the price increase.

“In this situation, we were actually giving patients a seven-day supply and asking them to come back in another seven days in the hopes that the price would have come down.”

She added that her store “supports” the dispensary.

“I find myself at home in the evenings researching beauty products, creating TikTok and Instagram videos, things a community pharmacist shouldn’t have to do,” Ms McNulty told BBC News NI.

Joe McAleer runs pharmacies in Belcoo and Enniskillen and says the funding crisis is impacting patients.

“We can’t afford to stock the volume of medicines we had before, we don’t have the money to invest in that stock.

“Many pharmacies now can only order as a prescription comes in, we just live day to day,” he said.

“Patients have to make several trips to pick up their medications because the pharmacy doesn’t have them. »

Mr McAleer said rising costs of running the business, such as rates, utility bills and staff salaries, meant he had reduced staff hours and increased his overdraft .

“I know other pharmacies have increased their overdraft, they’ve increased their loans, they’ve maxed out their credit cards to try to pay their bills, they’re juggling wholesalers, they’ve brought in private funds,” did he declare.

“They rely on sales of shampoos and shower gels in stores to pay for patients’ medications and this is an unacceptable situation.”

In Ballyclare, one of the town’s three pharmacies has closed.

Colin Gilliland, a local resident, says the loss would impact older people in the community.

“If they continue to close them, what are we going to do?” he asked.

“I feel sorry for the older ones. I think those who can’t drive and rely on a pharmacy really need it.

Pharmacists say they want to be able to offer more services to ease pressure on GPs and emergency departments, but this can only happen with increased investment and resources.

The DoH said it continued to invest in the community pharmacy sector despite “significant budgetary pressures”.

A spokesperson said the level of government funding given to community pharmacies “compared favourably” to other parts of the UK.

They added that there were more pharmacies per person in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK.

“The ministry’s ‘Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan 2030’ aims to fully realize the potential of community pharmacy services to support better health outcomes through medicines and prevent disease,” the spokesperson said.

“Implementation in 2024-25 is associated with an increase in core community pharmacy funding of £19 million compared to 2023-24, but full delivery will require additional funding, given current financial constraints , this will require a phased approach.