Suffolk has lost seven pharmacies in the last two years, data has revealed, as hundreds have closed across the country. 

Analysis by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) found the closures have disproportionately affected rural and deprived areas, and warned these residents will now need to "travel longer and longer distances to get hold of the medication they need".

The figures show there were 129 pharmacies in Suffolk this year – down from 136 two years ago.

This makes the county one of the hardest hit areas in the East of England, with seven pharmacies closing since 2022. 

The county's closures include a handful of Lloyds Pharmacy units in Suffolk supermarkets that took place in 2023, including at Sainsbury's Cornard Road in Sudbury, Sainsbury's Felixstowe Road in Ipswich and Sainsbury's Haycocks Road in Haverhill. 

Recent plans for a new pharmacy at Sudbury Community Health Centre were refused by Primary Care Support England (PCSE). 

This decision was slammed by Sudbury town councillors during a meeting on September 10, when Cllr Nigel Bennett branded it "a scandal". 

In Suffolk, the figures showed were an estimated 17 pharmacies per 100,000 people and in the East of England 60 pharmacies closed.

Paul Rees, chief executive of the NPA, said a growing number of areas are at risk of becoming “pharmacy deserts”.

“Many pharmacies are on the brink because of a decade of real term cuts, creating a material threat to the security of medicine supply in some areas if closures continue,” he said.

“It is also deeply concerning to see higher levels of pharmacy closures in deprived council areas, which has undermined government efforts to tackle health inequalities after the pandemic.”

David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: “Councils want every local area to have a strong community pharmacy network, particularly those in deprived areas with the greatest health needs, or rural communities with the furthest distance to travel.

“People rely on their local pharmacy not just as a place to get medicines, but as somewhere they can go to for informal health advice and information. If this lifeline was removed, it would mean more people having to potentially travel longer distances to GP surgeries and adding to existing pressures.”

He added: “Pharmacies have an important place in our local economy.

“They are vital to ensuring diverse and vibrant high streets, which can otherwise be dominated by betting shops and takeaways. Losing our pharmacies could leave gaps in high streets that may never been filled."