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Three-quarters of pharmacies in England are losing money, with a quarter of owners not taking a salary out of their business, finds a new report from Community Pharmacy England.

CPE’s annual pressures survey reveals that just 14 per cent of pharmacies are currently profitable, with 93 per cent of cash-strapped businesses looking at ways to further reduce costs – and a third saying they fear these cuts will impact on patient care.

Eighteen per cent of owners said they are looking at making staff members redundant, while 21 per cent plan to reduce opening hours and 29 per cent said they “may need to start charging patients for unfunded services”.

Seventy-six per cent of pharmacies said their patients have been affected by the pressures facing the sector, with 72 per cent saying patients are affected by medicines shortages on a daily basis.

A lack of capacity emerged as a significant theme, with 73 per cent reporting that patients have to wait longer to speak to a team member and 83 per cent saying they are unable to respond to phone calls and emails from the public as promptly as usual. 

Drug shortages continue to ramp up, with price concession records being broken month after month this year and almost 90 per cent of pharmacy staff reporting that patients are “having to make repeat visits to multiple pharmacies” for advice or to obtain medicines.

Meanwhile, 86 per cent of pharmacies report spending longer sourcing medicines than in 2025. 

CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said: “These stark results show us once again that pharmacies are not sustainable, and that the pressures on them are directly affecting patient access to medicines and care.

“It is very troubling that pharmacies are having to reduce opening hours and introduce new charges for things that have previously been free to patients – and this goes directly against Government’s ambitions to shift more healthcare closer to home.”

Dervis Gurol, a pharmacy owner in the South East of England, said “many colleagues” are relying on “additional financing and personal savings” to cover day-to-day running costs, which has had “huge mental health implications”.

“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,” said Mr Gurol.

One team member said some patients are going without prescribed medication “for days at a time” due to supply issues”

Another team member commented: “In my 21 years as a pharmacist I have never seen so many stock issues and [medications listed] over drug tariff prices.

“Trying to maintain all my essential services can be difficult.”

The survey, which ran from mid-February to mid-April this year, had responses from over 2,900 pharmacies and 900 pharmacy team members.

National Pharmacy Association chief executive Henry Gregg commented: "Pharmacies are under extraordinary pressure, dealing with record workloads whilst the network is at its smallest in 20 years due to a decade of pharmacy closures because of funding pressures.

"As this survey shows, these challenges coupled with growing medicine shortages are having a detrimental impact on the patients we support.

"It is not fair or sustainable for the personal savings or overdrafts of individual pharmacy owners to be used to subsidise the running of a vital NHS service.

Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said the “deeply alarming” findings show that Government “must now act”.

“That means ending the ludicrous situation where pharmacies are expected to dispense medicines at a loss, introducing the same business rates relief that GP surgeries and dental practices receive, and delivering the long-term structural reforms needed to put community pharmacy on a sustainable footing,” said Ms Hannbeck.

Company Chemist’s Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison said: “While recent funding uplifts have are welcome, much more needs to be done to stabilise the sector for the long term.

“Community pharmacies need year-on-year, above-inflation funding increases to ensure they can continue to meet rising costs and growing demand.”