Community pharmacies closing at a rapid rate with deprived areas worst affected

Community pharmacies closing at a rapid rate with deprived areas worst affected As the government asks pharmacies to do more to ease pressure on GPs, Sky News analysis has revealed those in England are closing at a rapid rate – with nearly 1,000 lost since 2017, a third of them in the last year alone.

Between July 2017 and July 2023, the number of operating pharmacies in England fell by 914 from 11,723 to 10,809.

Deprived communities, where the need is greatest, have seen the biggest decline. More than one in ten pharmacies have been lost in the poorest 20% of areas in the last six years.