Patients face long journeys for medicines as pharmacies cut weekend hours
People who need to obtain medication at the weekend are having to undertake long trips because more pharmacies are cutting their opening hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
One in six pharmacies in England have reduced their hours at weekends since 2022, with some shutting altogether, as a result of “unsustainable” pressures on their budgets.
The cuts mean that overall more than 20% of weekend opening hours have been lost, which has left pharmacy services increasingly unavailable, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
That has forced some patients to go to an A&E or urgent treatment centre to get the morning-after pill, or an emergency prescription or advice on how to treat a minor ailment.
The NPA chief executive, Olivier Picard, said: “This is yet more evidence that the pharmacy network in England is creaking at the seams after facing deep cuts over a number of years. Sadly the real losers are the millions of patients these pharmacies serve, particularly those in rural areas, who are forced to travel long distances or even go to hospital if they need a prescription or advice for a minor health issue on a Sunday or late at night.”
Rebecca Curtayne, the head of public affairs at Healthwatch England, the NHS patient watchdog, said: “People rely on their local pharmacy for timely advice and essential medication, so cuts to weekend opening hours are very worrying. We are already hearing from people about longer journeys to find an open pharmacy, particularly in rural areas, and this creates real difficulties for those with limited mobility or no access to transport.
“It is no surprise that some people end up turning to other parts of the NHS when they cannot get the help they need in their community.”
Source: The Guardian, 13 March 2026