The NHS has warned of significant shortages affecting 188 commonly prescribed medications. Currently, pharmacies receive a fixed reimbursement from the NHS for each dispensed medicine, forcing them to source drugs at or below these set prices. When market prices exceed NHS reimbursement, the medication is added to the government’s price concessions list.
This May, the number of medicines on this concessions list has surged to 188, impacting millions of households across England. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told the BBC, “The vast majority of licensed medicines remain in good supply, and we are actively working to maintain this. We have systems in place to respond swiftly to price increases, including adjusting reimbursement rates to reflect current market conditions, ensuring pharmacies can continue to provide medications.”
Patients like 84-year-old Gillian-Ann Wordsworth, who relies on Apixaban to prevent blood clots linked to her heart condition, have been directly affected. She shared, “They couldn’t get my Apixaban, so I was without medication all day Saturday. It’s worrying because it’s a matter of the heart.”
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Pharmacists such as Jones and his wife Julie described the pressure this puts on community pharmacies. “Many widely used medicines have gone into short supply quickly,” Jones said. Julie added, “We often spend two hours every evening trying to find the drugs or suitable alternatives due to ongoing shortages.”
Community Pharmacy England highlighted that when pharmacies cannot source drugs at the NHS’s reimbursement price, the Department of Health and Social Care intervenes with price concessions after requests from Community Pharmacy England. “For drugs granted price concessions, pharmacies are reimbursed at these adjusted prices for that month,” they explained.
As of May 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care has granted price concessions for 188 medications to help pharmacies manage procurement and continue serving patients during these shortages.