Nick Kaye, a pharmacist in Newquay who represents the National Pharmacy Association said: “Up to 63% of our members may be at risk of closing over the next 12 months.
“People will do loads of things to keep them going – borrow money from family members, re-mortgage, cash in pensions. Which is a really difficult situation to be in and it can be perilous.”
He called on the government to stabilise the current situation with the cost of dispensing prescriptions.
“The government’s own independent economic review recognized a £2.6bn shortfall in community pharmacy funding so what we really need is a roadmap to make sure that bridge is gapped over the coming years,” he added.