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Pharmacies in England are still teetering on the brink of closure despite the first real terms increase in funding for a decade in April, the National Pharmacy Association is warning.

An NPA survey of 600 member pharmacies in July 2025 found that 94 per cent of pharmacies said the latest funding settlement did not bring stability to their finances, and 63 per cent believed they faced closure in the next 12 months without additional financial support from the government.

This comes as new NPA analysis of NHS figures show that a further 72 pharmacies have closed this year so far in England, around two a week.

NPA chief executive Henry Gregg said: “No NHS service should be propped up by the personal savings of the individuals running it. Despite recent moves in the right direction, the survey shows many pharmacies are teetering on the brink and need support if they are to survive and achieve their full potential.

“The NHS 10 Year Plan is an historic opportunity to finally shift care into communities and expand the role of community pharmacy in a way we have never seen before. However, this cannot be done whilst pharmacies are unable to pay their bills and keep their doors open.”

Mike Hewitson, independent community pharmacy owner in the south of England, said: “For decades we have done everything the Government and NHS have asked of us – dispensing more prescriptions year on year, and vastly expanding the range of clinical services that we offer. Yet month in and month out, the numbers simply do not add up.

“I run two pharmacies and I’ve been forced to make tough decisions about reducing our opening hours or cutting staff numbers. It can’t be right that people delivering high quality NHS services, with a very deep focus on their patients, are facing financial ruin.”

The NPA survey follows Community Pharmacy England’s 2025 Funding and Profitability Report, based on the Pharmacy Pressures Survey carried out between January and March 2025.

It found that 37 per cent of contractors were unable to pay wholesaler bills on time, and 45 per cent had relied on personal savings or remortgaging their homes in the last year to subsidise their pharmacy.

Only 6 per cent of pharmacy owners said their pharmacies were profitable, with over half (51 per cent) saying they were losing money.

As the CPE survey took place before the 2024/25–2025/26 CPCF funding settlement, pharmacy owners were polled again in April to reflect on its impact. This follow-up included 370 respondents representing 3,517 pharmacies (34 per cent of community pharmacies in England).

Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said pharmacy owners should not be worrying about how to keep the lights on. “Our Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2025 reveals a deeply concerning trend of pharmacy owners fighting to keep their business afloat, and facing disastrous personal financial situations as a consequence. Pharmacy owners should not be subsidising NHS services from their own pockets”.