NI pharmacy owners vote to reduce services and opening hours in historic ballot

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland have voted in favour of collective action to reduce services in a protest over funding from the government.

The historic vote comes following the shock and dismay felt in the sector at the recent Budget, which – after a decade of real terms cuts and mass pharmacy closures – has compounded a desperate situation, with a hike to National Insurance employers’ contributions and an unfunded uplift in the National Living Wage.

The ballot, run by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), saw more than 99% of pharmacy owners say they were willing to limit their services in the interests of patient safety if improved funding is not forthcoming.

Some 71% of members in Northern Ireland took part in the poll, with 99.5% voting to serve notice on opening hours above the minimum required by their contract – meaning fewer pharmacies will be open in the evenings and at weekends.

95.4% voted to no longer collect prescriptions from GP surgeries on patients’ behalf and deliver them for free, 100% voted to refuse to co-operate with certain data requests above those required for patient safety and contractual minimums.

Other terms they voted in support of include withdrawing from supplying free monitored dose systems (medicine packs) that they are not paid to provide, other than those covered by the Disability Discrimination Act. 100% of pharmacies also voted in favour of a motion saying pharmacy owners “cannot guarantee community pharmacy services will remain safe into the future” without immediate increases in funding and the implementation of a guaranteed funding roadmap for the Community Pharmacy Strategy 2030.

The trade association is urging the government to meet and discuss an urgent uplift for pharmacy funding to guarantee patient safety and services for vulnerable people – alongside a modernisation of pharmacy with a funded expansion of clinical services.

It is also asking members to prepare to consider withdrawing services in January, if new support is not forthcoming.

Record numbers of pharmacies have shut in Northern Ireland, a record number, severely impacting access to medicines and care for the local communities they served.

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland have seen real terms cuts to their funding in the last decade even though they are dispensing record levels of prescriptions and are supporting the NHS by providing more clinical services.

National Pharmacy Association Chair, Nick Kaye said: “Pharmacies in Northern Ireland desperately want to support their local communities with access to medicines and advice but have been forced into an untenable position by a decade of underfunding.

“The sense of anger among pharmacy owners has been intensified exponentially by the Budget – with its hike in National Insurance employers’ contributions and the unfunded National Living Wage increase – which has tipped even more pharmacies to the brink.

“The ballot result overwhelmingly shows the sheer anger and frustration of pharmacy owners at a decade of cuts that is forcing dedicated health professionals to shut their doors for good,” he added.

“We strongly agree with the government’s ambition to boost community health care and hope to meet with them to discuss a new funding deal for pharmacies and modernisation of pharmacies to increase the number of clinical services they deliver, as long as they are properly funded.

“Pharmacies don’t want to reduce services but will we be left with no option but to suggest that pharmacy owners should consider acting on the clear ballot results in January if government does not act to protect this vital and much-loved part of our health service.”

He added: “As a third-generation pharmacist, I deeply care about my patients, as do pharmacy teams across the country, but I have never experienced a situation as desperate as this.

“Pharmacy owners are not a radical bunch, we have never proposed action like this before, but after a decade of underfunding and record closures, something simply has got to give.”