THE government has been urged to prevent pharmacy numbers falling below 10,000 in England for the first time since 2005.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said 10,054 are currently open but an average of seven have closed a week this year due to cuts in budgets and the increased cost of medicine.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said: “This is a vital opportunity to halt the closures and invest in community pharmacies, which provide prescriptions, clinical services and health support to neighbourhoods up and down the country.

“Preventing the ongoing collapse of community pharmacy will help to cut waiting times for GPs, provide better immediate care for patients and keep the front door to the NHS open.”

Two in three pharmacies have cut their opening hours since 2015, the NPA also found.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “Pharmacies are key to our plans to make healthcare fit for the future, as we shift the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community.”