Pharmacists are being exposed to “abuse and aggression” from frustrated members of the public due to a shortage of medicines, experts have warned.
The lack of certain treatments is also putting patient safety at risk, they have claimed.
Industry leaders said the system is “unviable and broken”, and called on the Government to recognise the seriousness of the issue. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief lee executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said the situation is “the worst that we have ever seen”.
She added: “Our supply system is consistently unable to cope as soon as the demand for a medicine goes up.
Scabies medicines, ADHD medicines, diabetes medication, cancer medicines, HRT medicines – the list continues.” Dr Hannbeck added many pharmacists are reporting an increased level of “abuse and repo leve aggression from patients because they cannot get their medicines”.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Community pharmacy teams are under pressure. People are getting quite grumpy, quite rightly.”
The Department of Health said: “We do not recognise these figures. There are around 14,000 medicines licensed in the UK and the overwhelming majority remain in good supply.”
