The National Pharmacy Association has urged the prime minister Keir Starmer (pictured) to introduce a medicine supply tsar to lead an investigation into the “robustness” of the UK supply chain after a survey commissioned by the trade body revealed patients’ health is suffering because of drugs shortages.

The online survey of 2,183 adults, carried out byYouGov, found 28 per cent of people were unable to collect their prescription from a pharmacy last year because of medicines shortages. Six per cent said they experienced that “three to four times” over a 12-month period while five per cent said that occurred five times or more.

Thirty-two per cent of patients said shortages had impacted their health, including seven per cent who insisted it had done so “a great deal” and 25 per cent “a fair deal.” The survey was conducted last month.

The NPA said the medicines shortages tsar would also be responsible for “making the UK more competitive in the global medicines market.”

“The tsar should be an independent expert who could have the technical knowledge of medicine supply to bring together a wide range of industry organisations to tackle this complex problem,” the NPA said.

It said pharmacists who order medicines that are in short supply, including those for common conditions like hayfever, have had to pay three to 27 times the original price, having spent hours trying to find a suitable medicine for their patients. The NPA warned increasing prices of medicines is putting further pressure on already severely stretched pharmacies, with 10 closing a week so far this year.

The NPA also warned the number of serious shortage protocols has more than tripled in the last two years, with 78 per cent of all SSPs issued by the Department of Health and Social Care coming in the last two years and covering a range of medications for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, angina, menopause, whooping cough, chest infections, contraception, depression, epilepsy, thyroid problems and anaphylaxis.

NPA chief executive Paul Rees said the findings were “incredibly worrying” and proved “the current crisis in medicine supply is having a serious impact on people’s health.”

“Although for some, a medicine shortage is frustrating and inconvenient, for others it can be potentially life-threatening and have a drastic impact on how a patient can live their life,” he said.

“We have seen this with the most recent shortages relating to Creon, which can be used to help those living with cystic fibrosis digest food. That is why we are urging the new government to appoint a medicine shortages tsar to use this opportunity to bring together all bodies to tackle this growing and complex crisis once and for all.

“Medicine shortages heap pressure on already stretched community pharmacies, who have to pay inflated prices for medicines in short supply, spend hours trying to find supplies and sometimes face the heartbreaking situation of having to turn patients away.”

Image: www.parliament.uk