‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record drug shortages

Pharmacies are unable to get medicines they need and are increasingly experiencing patients’ anger and frustration

• Medicine shortages in England ‘beyond critical’, pharmacists warn

A survey of thousands of pharmacists has found that patients’ health is being put at risk by record drug shortages in England, leaving patients and pharmacists frustrated they cannot get the medicines they need.

“I just feel like the government and the NHS aren’t taking this seriously enough, because we’re firefighting in the background silently,” says Reena Barai, who owns and runs a pharmacy in south-west London. “They’re not realising the impact of this. Is it going to take patients to die without medication for them to start waking up and realising that this is a really serious issue that needs solving?”