LEADERS from the health sector have stressed that rural areas in England are at risk of becoming “pharmacy deserts”.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said closures in rural towns and villages will mean people have to travel further for medication as it urged the government to reverse budget cuts.

Analysis showed that 17 of the 20 council areas with the lowest number of pharmacies per 100,000 people were in rural locations.

According to the NPA, West Berkshire has the lowest provision in the country over 100,000 people, with four times fewer pharmacies than Westminster, which has the highest.

More deprived council areas also had the highest level of closures in the last two years, the organisation found.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: “These shocking statistics show how a growing number of areas are at risk of becoming pharmacy deserts, with people in rural towns and villages having to travel longer and longer distances to get hold of the medication they need.

“Many pharmacies are on the brink because of a decade of real term cuts, creating a material threat to the security of medicine supply in some areas if closures continue.

“It is also deeply concerning to see higher levels of pharmacy closures in deprived council areas, which has undermined government efforts to tackle health inequalities after the pandemic.”

The NPA analysis also found one or more pharmacies have closed in 87% of council areas in England in the last two years.

The organisation has urged the Government to reverse what it describes as a 40% real-terms cut to the pharmacy budget in the last decade.

Mr Rees added: “The Government needs to act now to stabilise the pharmacy network and lay out a routemap for a properly funded future or they will put the supply of medicine to some areas at risk.

“Ministers must provide pharmacies with a new deal to fix the current broken contract now. This will halt the closures and allow pharmacies to deliver first class accessible healthcare on people’s doorsteps.”

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Responding to the NPA analysis, David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: “Councils want every local area to have a strong community pharmacy network, particularly those in deprived areas with the greatest health needs, or rural communities with the furthest distance to travel.

“People rely on their local pharmacy, not just as a place to get medicines but as somewhere they can go to for informal health advice and information. If this lifeline was removed, it would mean more people having to potentially travel longer distances to GP surgeries and adding to existing pressures.

“Pharmacies have an important place in our local economy. They are vital to ensuring diverse and vibrant high streets, which can otherwise be dominated by betting shops and takeaways. Losing our pharmacies could leave gaps in high streets that may never been filled.”