Medicine shortages described as among the most severe on record in the UK, with pharmacists and GPs reporting repeated gaps in supply. Health bodies warn that patients relying on epilepsy, cancer-related digestive treatments and common blood pressure medicines are among those affected.
Pharmacy leaders say supply disruption is becoming more frequent and lasting longer, with repeated cases of patients unable to collect prescribed medicines. In some instances, clinicians report that people are forced to travel between multiple pharmacies in a single day to locate treatment.
According to the National Pharmacy Association, shortages are now placing sustained pressure on community pharmacies and general practice teams. The organisation says this is being felt across routine care, where dispensing delays and repeated prescription adjustments have become increasingly common.
Rising Disruption in Everyday Prescribing
Pharmacists and GPs report that shortages are affecting a wide range of routinely used medicines, including pain relief, blood pressure treatments and medicines used in epilepsy care. According to the National Pharmacy Association, a recent survey of its members found 96% of pharmacies believed shortages posed a serious risk to patient safety, while 89% reported being unable to dispense a medicine at least once a day due to supply problems.
The same survey found that 98% of pharmacies had seen patients visit several locations in one day seeking medication, and 83% reported incidents of abuse linked to unavailable prescriptions. These findings reflect what pharmacy teams describe as sustained operational strain, with staff time increasingly directed towards sourcing stock rather than routine dispensing work.
Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said medicine shortages were “becoming more frequent, lasting longer and causing increasing disruption for patients”, according to comments shared by the organisation. He also described the situation as volatile, noting that supply issues are occurring outside the control of frontline healthcare staff.
Specific medicines have been affected for extended periods. Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy and certain hormone replacement therapies have been subject to long-running shortage protocols, with some remaining in place for more than a year. These protocols are designed to manage supply disruption while maintaining patient access through alternative arrangements.
Pressure on Services and Calls for Regulatory Change
The impact of shortages extends into clinical workload, with pharmacists and GPs reporting additional administrative steps when medicines are unavailable. Prescriptions often require amendment by a GP before an alternative can be supplied, creating delays in treatment and repeated contact between services.
According to the Royal College of GPs, shortages are contributing to growing pressure across primary care, particularly where patients require changes to prescriptions in order to access suitable alternatives. The college has indicated support for limited changes being made by pharmacists under agreed clinical guidance, provided safeguards remain in place.
The National Pharmacy Association is calling for an emergency taskforce involving government, manufacturers and wholesalers to address supply instability. It has also raised concerns about current legislation that restricts pharmacists from making minor adjustments to prescriptions when stock is unavailable.
Patient organisations have also reported the effects of prolonged shortages. Some charities supporting people with pancreatic disease and cystic fibrosis say difficulties obtaining enzyme replacement medicines have affected daily eating routines and overall wellbeing, according to statements shared by those groups.
The Department of Health and Social Care has stated that most medicines in the UK remain in good supply, and that work is under way to strengthen manufacturing and supply resilience. Despite this, professional bodies continue to report ongoing disruption across community pharmacy settings, with shortages now described as a persistent feature of routine care rather than isolated events.
