28 Sep 2026
More than 280,000 people in England have seen their local pharmacy close in the first eight months of 2026, according to analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
The NPA’s analysis of monthly NHS figures found that 51 high street pharmacies closed permanently between January and the end of August. These included 31 pharmacies supported through the NHS Pharmacy Access Scheme, which provides additional funding in areas where there is no nearby alternative.
The NPA highlighted what some of those closures mean for patients:
- Long Rock, near Penzance: Following the closure of a former Lloyds Pharmacy, the nearest pharmacy open on a Sunday is a 17-mile round trip, or a one-hour-and-20-minute journey by public transport.
- Bishops Lydeard, Somerset: The nearest alternative is a 10-mile round trip. At weekends, the journey takes one hour and six minutes by public transport.
- Barnwood, Gloucester: Following the closure of a Lloyds Pharmacy, reaching the nearest pharmacy at a weekend involves a 50-minute walk or a one-hour-and-10-minute round trip by public transport.
- Bodmin, Cornwall: Following the closure of the Asda pharmacy, the nearest pharmacy open at a weekend is a 16-mile round trip, or one hour and 10 minutes by public transport.
The NPA warns that closures can leave patients travelling further for emergency prescriptions, contraception and clinical advice, particularly at weekends. It says around 1,500 pharmacies have closed since 2017, affecting access to medicines and advice particularly in isolated rural communities. The association is calling for reform of the NHS pharmacy contract and action to address what it describes as a £2 billion funding gap.
Olivier Picard, Chair of the NPA, said:
These are depressing figures and demonstrates the work to stabilise the pharmacy network that millions of patients depend on is not done yet.
We need to act to prevent the permanent closure of pharmacies becoming the new normal at a time when Government and the public wants more care closer to people’s homes Patients are being forced to travel long distances to access the medicines and support they need, particularly on weekends. It is particularly concerning to see closures of pharmacies that have been singled out for additional support due to their importance to the patients that use them and the lack of available alternatives in those areas.
We recognise this government has provided pharmacies with desperately needed funding uplifts, but much of this had to go out the door to meet soaring costs including business rates and national living wage leaving pharmacies facing a yawning gap between their costs and the funding they receive from the NHS. We want to work with the government to fundamentally reform the pharmacy contract to achieve Ministers’ ambitions to bring care closer to home and end pharmacies being forced to dispense medicines at a loss.
