Hema Patel, a community pharmacist from Benfleet in Essex, has been an advocate for raising awareness of the crisis in the pharmacy sector. Normally, her pharmacy only dispenses to 30 patients per day. She’s a vocal advocate for more money from the central government to support dispensaries. Patel is passionate about the future of healthcare and the role of community pharmacies. The demand for their services shows no signs of abating.
Patel’s pharmacy has responded to this increasing demand by building more consultation rooms. But she contends that monetary support is necessary to keep the lifesaving pharmacies operating past the next year. “We didn’t go to university and study for the best part of five years to check a box, that’s not what I wanted to do,” she stated, underscoring her commitment to providing quality care.
In an effort to streamline operations and better serve her community, Patel has automated the dispensing process at her busiest location using a robotic device in the stock room. She supported increasing the role of automation in transportation. Yet, she feared the costs to roll out similar technology at her remaining three pharmacies would be prohibitive. “I can’t afford to hire another [robot], but as long as funding is right, this can absolutely support healthcare and the NHS and the ever-growing population,” she remarked.
The financial landscape for pharmacies is challenging. Patel noted that rising business rates, minimum wage increases, and higher national insurance contributions have added pressure to her operations. “Business rates are going up, minimum wage going up, national insurance contributions went up, electricity went up,” she explained.
Even with these challenges, Patel is hopeful about the new directions that her work has exposed her to. She discovers magic and delight helping patients, in other words. As a medical professional, she thinks her clinical skills are best-placed on the frontlines. “We are making positive changes to people’s lives every single day, and so I feel great that I’m able to do this in my career,” she said.
The hand from government has gotten a lot better. Funding for the spokes core community pharmacy contractual framework will increase to £3.1 billion for 2025-26. A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care remarked, “Community pharmacists have a crucial role to play as we move more care out of hospital and into the community.” This signals a trend toward acknowledging the role of pharmacies in providing high-quality, accessible healthcare services right into the communities where people live and work.