One in five patients in England struggle to access medicines

This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.  New data from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 20% of patients in England face difficulties accessing their medicines due to shortages in the supply chain, posing significant challenges for them and pharmacy teams. The survey, 'Experiences of NHS healthcare services in England', shows that 20% of adults who used prescription dispensing services at a pharmacy in the last 28 days experienced delays in getting the medicines they needed: 13.6% of patients had to return to the same pharmacy on a different occasion 3.6% had to visit multiple pharmacies 3.2% were forced to seek a different service, such as a GP or urgent care 1.8% could not access a pharmacy and took no further action. The figures highlight the challenges faced by patients in the face of medicine shortages and the extra burden on pharmacy teams to manage and resolve these issues. Of those who experienced difficulties in obtaining their NHS prescriptions, 13.4% were resolved the same day, 28.5% the next day, 36.1% within three to four days, 8.3% after six days or later, and 13.6% took seven days or longer to be resolved. Encouragingly, 85% of patients reported being satisfied with pharmacy services, reflecting the dedication and value of pharmacists and pharmacy teams in the community. However, there is a clear need for systemic change to address the root causes of these supply issues. RPS Director of England James Davies said: "Patients rightly expect that when they are prescribed a medicine, they will receive it without undue delay. “Medicine shortages have grown substantially in recent years, which is placing a significant strain on both patients and pharmacy staff. It’s thanks to the dedication and hard work of pharmacy teams that many of these problems are being addressed quickly, often by the next day. "We urge manufacturers, wholesalers and the Government to work together to improve the supply chain. We also want to see changes to the law that would allow pharmacists in England to make minor amendments to prescriptions. This would enable patients to access their medicines more quickly without needing to return to their GP. “Changes are urgently needed to ensure patients receive their medications promptly and to reduce the strain on the whole of the NHS caused by medicine shortages.” Find out more about our investigation into medicines shortages. Read more RCPharm news.