EXCLUSIVE: Just 11,414 community pharmacies offering key NHS services remain - the lowest level since records began in 2015/16. Almost 400 shut their doors in 2022/23 alone, statistics show.
JOHN NAISH: For 50 years, Martin Bennett (pictured) has worked at the Wicker Pharmacy in Sheffield, which has opened every day, including every Christmas Day, for 71 years.
The Company Chemists Association says closures risk leaving patients without the face-to-face care they need for minor ailments. It accused NHS of failing to clamp down on rogue mail order rivals.
Hundreds of vital independent community pharmacies have shut in recent months. And the recently announced investment won t cover the shortfall, pharmacists have said.