Community pharmacy body warn £12.4m NIC and MW cost increases will have a devasting effect on services.

Community pharmacies in Northern Ireland will face a £12.4m increase in costs due to National Insurance and Minimum Wage increases from 1 April 2025.The hike threatens the long-term sustainability of essential community healthcare services, adding a further significant cost burden to an already beleaguered network of community pharmacies across Northern Ireland.

The industry representative body, Community Pharmacy NI says the increased operational costs will impact on service provision and patient accessibility.Since the start of 2023, 17 community pharmacies in Northern Ireland have shut their doors amid an ongoing funding shortfall that the sector is struggling to overcome.

Against the backdrop of these closures, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA recently told MLAs at the Assembly Health Committee that he does not foresee additional funding being allocated to cover the extra costs.

Community pharmacies are calling on officials to protect the community pharmacy network from these cost increases and are calling for a rebalancing of healthcare provision, one that emphasises community care, prioritises prevention over treatment, and supports people in managing their conditions at home.

Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene, said,“In the private sector, businesses can often offset such cost increases by raising the prices of their goods and services. Community pharmacies do not have this option. Unlike the health service, they are not shielded from these increases, which are mounting. Community pharmacies are already subsidising the health service, and this will make the situation worse.

“We have already seen 17 community pharmacies close in Northern Ireland since the beginning of 2023 due to the funding shortfall the sector is grappling with. These further pressures because of the NIC increases will certainly impact patients and lead to reduced services in many local areas at a time when we are supposed to support the development of community-based healthcare services and take pressure off secondary care. This runs contrary to the transformation objectives that the health service needs to take forward”.