The 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey conducted by Community Pharmacy England provides a comprehensive overview of the escalating challenges faced by pharmacies across England regarding medicine supply issues. Drawing insights from over 6,100 pharmacy premises and 2,000 pharmacy team members, the survey paints a stark picture of the dire consequences of these supply disruptions on patient health and pharmacy operations.
A staggering 79% of pharmacy team members reported that patient health was being jeopardised due to medicine supply issues, indicating a critical threat to public health. The severity of the situation is underscored by the fact that nearly all community pharmacy staff encountered medicine supply issues at least weekly, with 72% facing multiple issues on a daily basis. These statistics underscore the pervasiveness and urgency of the problem, posing significant challenges to both patients and pharmacy businesses.
The impact of medicine supply disruptions extends beyond patient inconvenience, with 97% of pharmacy team members reporting that patients were inconvenienced, frustrated, and put at risk due to these issues. Moreover, the need to issue partial prescriptions, known as 'owings,' has become increasingly common, affecting 98% of pharmacy team members. This not only disrupts patient care but also adds to the administrative burden on pharmacies.
Community pharmacist Reena Barai spoke to Asian Voice about this crisis. She said, “I think the pressure survey highlights what actually community pharmacists might be on the ground already know that the pressure is really immense right now in pharmacy. And one of our biggest pressure points is the shortages of medicines. And it's the fallout of that that we're really struggling with at the moment because every day there's a medication we can't get for somebody. Every day, we’re getting lots of phone calls from people who are desperate to find a source of their medication. Because it's out of stock and they're trying lots of pharmacies.
“Every day we're spending lots of hours trying to source medication so that our patients don't go without and every day we're spending a lot of time talking to our GP colleagues to try and get alternative prescriptions prescribed so that other patients don't go without either a similar medication or something else that belongs to a similar class of medication but the ones that we can't get. This has been going on for so long now.”
When asked what steps could the government take to initiate immediate relief, Barai said, “Report after report is showing how this is really affecting the pharmacy team. What we're asking for is a couple of things. One, is to be given the permission to swap things so for example, if I can't get a premium version of something, can I give the ointment maybe instead? Or, if I can't get a tablet version could I give the capsule version and sensor just small population changes that would make life so much easier for us and support our patients better? But also we need the government to tackle the problems only getting worse and the reasons for it are many it feels like nobody's trying to solve the problem because community pharmacy is dealing with all of this in the background so silently that nobody realises the pressure it's causing.”
Speaking about those who are most impacted by this crisis, Reena told us, “At the moment we're struggling to get hold of some diabetic medication in particular. And the one that's causing the most concern at the moment as children are doing GCSE, including university students and most importantly, ADHD medication. Many children and young people rely on those medications to concentrate on their exams and obviously, they are now struggling because they can't get hold of the medication and we're getting lots of desperate parents ringing around pharmacies, trying to get ahold of them. It's so sad, isn't it that we can't give them the medication they need?”
According to her, the short-term solution is to allow pharmacists to change products. “If I can't get a tablet version the long-term solution is a government task force needs to be set up to look into the modern workforce. Is it because of Brexit? Is it because of exchange rates? Is it because of the economy? Is it because of the wars going around in the world? And you know, what is it that is causing the shortages? And, you know, Britain needs to ensure that its residents and citizens don't go without medication. You know, we're a first-world country and we're struggling to give medication to our patients, which just doesn't seem right,” Reena added.
From a business perspective, pharmacy owners highlighted the significant increase in medicines supply chain and wholesaler issues compared to the previous year, with 91% reporting a notable escalation in challenges. This exacerbates the operational and financial pressures faced by pharmacies, posing a threat to their viability and potentially leading to closures. Medicine supply issues have been identified as one of the most severe pressures on pharmacy businesses, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue.
The strain of navigating medicine supply issues has taken a toll on pharmacy teams, with 94% of pharmacy owners reporting that their teams spend more time sourcing medicines compared to the previous year. This diverts resources away from core tasks and adds to workload pressures, leading to increased stress and frustration among staff members. Additionally, 84% of pharmacy team members reported experiencing patient aggression, further exacerbating the challenges faced by pharmacy teams.
