Pharmaceutical funding crisis ‘shut down business…

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland say they are dispensing prescription drugs at a loss because they are not being reimbursed.

Siobhan McNulty, who runs Melvin Pharmacy in Garrison, County Fermanagh, said she relies on sales of makeup and gifts to “keep the ship afloat” and subsidizes the cost of dispensing prescriptions.

A DoH spokesperson said the department had drawn up a strategic plan that included increasing core funding for pharmacies.

Community Pharmacy NI says a funding crisis has led to the closure of nearly a dozen pharmacies in the past 18 months.

The organization said no contract had been agreed for more than 14 years and called on the Department of Health (DoH) to introduce special drug rates for Northern Ireland.

Ms McNulty said she had to limit supplies to patients of the life-saving drug for cholesterol after the cost rose from £1 to £2 per box of 28 tablets to £17.

“The department would normally follow the price increase, but at the right time, I might have given away 100 boxes before I paid back the increased price.

“In that situation, we actually gave patients a seven-day supply and asked them to come back within seven days in the hope that the price would come down.”

He added that his store was “pushing” the dispensary.

“I’m at home at night looking for beauty products, making TikToks and Instagram videos, things a community pharmacist shouldn’t be doing,” Ms McNulty told BBC News NI.

Joe McAleer runs pharmacies in Belcoo and Enniskillen and says the funding crisis is having an impact on patients.

“We can’t supply the volume of drugs we had before, we don’t have the money to invest in the stock.

“Many pharmacies today can only order when the prescription comes in, we just live day to day,” he said.

“Patients have to make multiple trips to come in and collect their medication because the pharmacy hasn’t got it yet.”

Mr McAleer said the increased costs of running a business, such as rates, utility bills and staff wages, meant he had reduced working hours and increased overdrafts.

“I know other pharmacies have increased overdrafts, they have increased loans, they have maxed out on credit cards trying to pay bills, they are juggling wholesalers, they have introduced personal funds,” he said.

“They depend on the sales of shampoos and shower gels in the shops to pay for the medicines for the patients and this is an unacceptable situation.”

In Ballyclare, one of the town’s three pharmacies has closed.

Local resident Colin Gilliland said the loss would have an impact on older people in the community.

“If they keep closing, then what are we going to do?” he said.

“I feel sorry for the parents. I think those who can’t drive and depend on the pharmacy really need it.

Pharmacists say they want to be able to offer more services to help ease the pressure on GPs and Emergency Departments, but that can only happen together with investment and resources.

The DoH said it was continuing to invest in the community pharmacy sector despite “severe budget pressures”.

A spokeswoman said the level of government funding given to community pharmacies “compared very well” with other parts of the UK.

He added that there are more pharmacies per person in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK.

“The Department’s Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan 2030 aims to realize the potential of community pharmacy services to support better health outcomes from medicines and disease prevention,” the spokesperson said.

“Implementation in 2024-25 is associated with an increase in community pharmacy core funding of £19m compared to 2023/24 but full delivery will require additional funding, as current financial constraints require a phased approach.”