Pharmacy closures are a “widespread challenge” across England, the nation’s patient champion has warned as new figures show widespread temporary and permanent closures across the country.

Healthwatch England said that closures can have “huge impacts” on patients – particularly those in rural communities and older people.

Pharmacy leaders said that “pharmacy deserts” around the country could put more pressure on GPs and leave patients having to travel further to access care.

New data obtained by Healthwatch found that there were 436 pharmacies closed permanently in England between January 1 and December 31 2023 – the equivalent of eight pharmacies shutting their doors permanently every week.

Healthwatch also sounded the alarm over temporary closures of pharmacies – which can last hours or days.

It warned that temporary and permanent pharmacy closures are “undermining people’s access to care”.

Such closures were also eroding people’s confidence in the expansion of pharmacy services, according to a new Healthwatch report.

This could include the Conservative government’s flagship Pharmacy First service, which encourages people to seek care from a local pharmacist for several common ailments.

Patients have contacted Healthwatch to express their frustration over closures, with particular concerns raised about access to essential medicines.

As a result it set out to investigate the extent of the problem by sending freedom of information requests to local health organisations, known as integrated care boards, across England.

Some 13,863 temporary closures were reported between January 1 and December 31 last year, according to a new Healthwatch briefing document.

Many temporary closures were driven by staff shortages, Healthwatch said, in particular the availability of locum pharmacists.

Analysis of the data suggests that temporary closures were more common in rural areas compared with urban areas.

North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board appeared to be worst affected by temporary closures, it found.

Healthwatch also found that areas with older populations were more likely to be affected by temporary pharmacy closures.

“These findings suggest that the group most likely to use pharmacy services, older people, may be least well served when it comes to accessing them,” according to the report authors.

Healthwatch England is calling for patients to be better notified about pharmacy closures and for pharmacy teams to be better supported to have contingency plans.

It has also called for a national evaluation to consider issues facing pharmacy services.

Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said: “Our research has shown that temporary pharmacy closures present a widespread challenge in England.

“This issue is having huge impacts on older people and is particularly acute in rural regions where people already have to travel further to visit their pharmacist.

“Staff shortages, the key driver of permanent and temporary closures, call into doubt the potential of Pharmacy First, meaning people can’t get the advice, care and medications they need and when they need them.

“We know that people’s frustration often stems from not being informed about pharmacy closures in advance.

“Better signposting that pharmacies will be closed and setting out alternatives would go some way to improving patient experience.

“However, in the longer term, action must be taken to address staff shortages and unequal access.

“A national evaluation of pharmacy funding and the size, role-mix and distribution of the pharmacy workforce is necessary to improve planning of pharmacy services.”

Debbie Riddell, from Paignton in Devon, said she has faced difficulty when trying to collect prescriptions for thyroid and blood pressure issues.

The 70-year-old said: “Many of the pharmacies in my area have closed down. My local one is still open, but staff are overwhelmed with the demand.

“I was shocked by what I saw on my recent visit to pick up my medication, I had to queue out the front door and wait for at least 20 minutes to be attended to.

“There’s even a notice at the door that because of closures in the area, it will now take at least 10 days to prepare a repeat prescription.”

Commenting on the report, Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “It’s clear that rising levels of closures are risking leaving some areas of the country as pharmacy deserts, with people having to travel much further to get access to vital services.

“Community pharmacies act as the front door to the NHS.

“If people lose access to them, it will force more patients into the 8 o’clock scramble at their GP surgery, putting pressure on the rest of our NHS system.

“1.6 million people a day visit their pharmacy but they are closing at a record rate, and millions of people are seeing the effect of that in their communities.

“If the Government wants to cut GP waiting times – and free up GPs to see patients with more serious conditions – it needs to invest in community pharmacy.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government inherited a broken NHS where pharmacies have been neglected for years.

“Pharmacies are key to making healthcare fit for the future as we shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community.

“We will make better use of their skills by increasing the number of pharmacists able to prescribe medication themselves and launch a review of Community Pharmacy funding.”