Rural Areas at Risk of Becoming ‘Pharmacy Deserts’

Rural areas in England are at risk of becoming “pharmacy deserts” because of declining funding, leaders from the sector have warned. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said the high number of closures in rural towns and villages will mean people having to travel further for medication as it urged the government to reverse spending cuts. Analysis showed 17 of the 20 council areas with the lowest number of pharmacies per 100,000 people were in rural locations, while more deprived local authorities had the highest level of closures in the last two years, the organisation found. According to the NPA, West Berkshire has the lowest provision in the country per 100,000 people, with four times fewer pharmacies than Westminster, which has the highest....