WALES’ COMMUNITY PHARMACIES WARN PRESSURES ARE NOW IMPACTING THE DELIVERY OF PHARMACEUTICAL CARE

Community Pharmacies in Wales have warned that severe financial,
workforce and medicines supply pressures are making it harder for
pharmacy teams to deliver pharmaceutical care and are threatening the
future viability of the community pharmacy network in Wales.
Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW’s) Community Pharmacy Pressure
Survey 2026, which received 154 responses from across all seven Health
Boards, reveals widespread concern about financial sustainability, staffing
capacity, team wellbeing and the effect of mounting pressures on patients.
Nearly two thirds of respondents (63%) said their financial position had
worsened over the previous year, while 29% reported difficulty paying
wholesaler bills. Almost half (49%) were not confident that their pharmacy
would remain financially viable over the next 12 months, with only 8%
feeling very confident.
Responding to the findings, CPW Chief Executive, Russell Goodway said:
“The survey findings underline the significant pressures facing community
pharmacies across Wales, including concerns about financial sustainability,
workforce capacity, team wellbeing and the ability of pharmacy teams to
maintain service delivery.

Dispensing prescription items remains community pharmacy’s primary role.
Alongside that essential work, reaching more than 800,000 clinical
consultations annually through the Common Ailments Service, Pharmacist
Independent Prescribing Service and other community pharmacy services
shows how effectively pharmacies are helping people get the right care, in
the right place, at the right time – often without the need for an
appointment.

This achievement is a real credit to community pharmacy teams and to the
patients who continue to trust their local pharmacies. But it is also deeply
concerning that the previous Welsh Government and Health Boards have
allowed such a success story to be put at risk due to their failure to provide
the funding necessary to sustain it. In recent years, the funding and
practical support needed to sustain the network has not kept pace with
inflation or with the real, rising costs of running a pharmacy – leaving many
teams stretched and uncertain about what comes next.
CPW has repeatedly set out to Welsh Government and Health Boards, the
pressures facing the community pharmacy network.
Recurring CPCF funding has increased by 18.9% since 2019 whereas CPI
inflation rose by 27.6% over the same period. More significantly,
pharmacylevel costs increased by 42.5%, driven largely by National Living

Wage increases and changes to Employer National Insurance. Without a
corresponding increase in funding, the network is now under immense
strain.
Six years ago, there were 717 community pharmacies in Wales compared
to 685 at the present time. In recent years some of the largest community
pharmacy chains have decided to exit Wales completely. Each loss
increases pressure on neighbouring pharmacies, which must absorb
additional workload. CPW is seriously concerned that, without urgent action,
further instability could have a significant impact on patients and on the
wider health service.
CPW has said that, without the introduction of an immediate recurrent
stabilisation payment, there is a real risk that parts of the network will not
remain viable leaving the population facing a potential catastrophe. Without
urgent and meaningful action, Wales risks losing pharmacy capacity that
will be extremely difficult to rebuild. Funding community pharmacy is an
investment in patient care, access to medicines and the resilience of the
entire health service.”

Anonymised responses to the survey illustrate the severity of the situation,
with contractors warning that “the current model is not sustainable”, that
“dispensing at a loss is unacceptable” and that, without action, pharmacy
closures could leave members of the public unable to access their
medication.

Notes
 The Community Pharmacy Pressure Survey 2026 was open for four
weeks in June and received 154 responses from across all seven
Health Boards in Wales.
 Respondents represented a range of pharmacy ownership types:
55% were from independent pharmacies, 33% from large chains and
12% from small chains.
 63% of respondents said their financial position had worsened
compared with the previous year; 28% said it had remained the
same and 9% said it had improved.
 49% were not confident about their pharmacy’s financial viability
over the next 12 months, 43% were somewhat confident and 8%
were very confident.
 Where survey questions allowed respondents to select more than one
answer, percentages do not total 100%.
 Community Pharmacy Wales represents all pharmacies in Wales on
NHS matters.
 CPW has previously called for an immediate recurrent stabilisation
payment of at least £12.8 million and parity of approach on pay
uplifts and expense pressures across primary care.