Medication shortages put patients at risk and pharmacists under pressure.

When patients are unable to get regular mediation, it can lead to frustration, stress, and it can impact their health.

Pharmacists are struggling with increased workloads and there are mental health concerns within the industry.

But there are ways to manage supply chain issues and reduce the stress of dealing with medication shortages.

Current state of medicines shortages UK

Community pharmacies in England report that their teams spend double the time dealing with medicine shortages now than in previous years.

Since 2020, there have been over 5,600 reported medication shortages with 72% of pharmacy staff encountering multiple issues a day.

This has led to 40% of respondents in a survey reporting that patients have been put at risk because of these shortages and over half of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have said that shortages impacted their own wellbeing or workload.

Over half of respondents had to visit multiple pharmacies to get their medication according to research by epilepsy and Parkinson’s charities.

Patients stated they felt ‘anxious’, ‘stressed’, and ‘frustrated’ with medicine shortages and some (almost 20%) reported that their symptoms worsened due to having to go without regular medications.

Medication supply chain issues that are impacting both the health of pharmacists and patients and are set to continue.

What medications are in shortage right now?

Drugs that are in short supply in the UK currently include numerous medications from Salbutamol sulphate to ADHD medication.

Pharmacies in England can check which medications are out of supply using this site and there is a UK-wide list here. Pharmacies in Ireland can check this updated list.

Why is there a shortage of medicines in the UK?

There are a multitude of reasons why there is a shortage of medicines, not only in the UK.

These include:

1. Manufacturing issues
2. Disruption to supply chains
3. Complex and global supply chains
4. Lack of transparency with stock levels
5. Increases in demand, driven by social media.

Strategy to tackle medicine shortages

In December 2024, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and 19 other organisations asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to create a medicines shortages strategy.

A report by the RPS states that community pharmacists should be able to make minor amendments to prescriptions when medicines are in short supply, but this was recently blocked by the Health and Social Care Select Committee.

The Chair of the RPS England, Tase Oputu, said, “Medicine shortages can compromise care and so affect patients’ health.”

He also stated there are hidden costs that impact the NHS and lead to hospital admissions.

Current law on medication shortages

There are several laws and protocols for medication shortages including:

1. Regulation (EU) 2022/123
2. Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP)
3. Human Medicines Regulation 2012
4. Health Service Products (provision and disclosure of information) Regulations 2018.

Regulation (EU) 2022/123

This regulation states marketing authorisation holders for all authorised human medicines in the EU are required to appoint an industry single point of contact to provide information to the EMA about supply of critical medicines.

Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP)

This protocol states that community pharmacists are legally obliged to contact prescribers or refer people back to them to amend original prescriptions, even minor adjustments.

This legislation was introduced in 2019 to mitigate the impact of national shortages of medicine and allow community pharmacists in the UK to supply medicine against the protocol issued. However, SSPs are rarely used and when they are, they can be frustrating and inflexible.

Human Medicines Regulation 2012

This regulation requires that the sale or supply of a prescription-only medicine can only be in accordance with a prescription given by an appropriate practitioner. Pharmacists cannot amend prescriptions.

Health Service Products (provision and disclosure of information) Regulations 2018

This regulation requires manufacturers and suppliers to notify the Department of Health and Social Care when there are shortages or discontinuations of medication.

Recommendations to improve medication shortages

The RPS have asked for amendments to current legislation including:

• Allowing pharmacists to make minor amendments to prescriptions

These would include:

1. Different quantity
2. Different strength
3. Different formulation
4. Generic version of the same medicine (generic substitution).

These changes would allow pharmacists to make adjustments instead of going back to the prescriber and delaying medication to a patient.

Other recommendations were put forward by the RPS in their recent report ‘Medicine shortages solutions for empty shelves’. A report launched at the House of Commons on 27^th Nov 2024.

These include:

1. Better demand forecasting
2. Reporting shortages earlier
3. Improving data connectivity
4. A UK-wide strategy for shortages
5. Building of a resilient supply chain
6. Improved reporting by manufacturers
7. Educating healthcare teams and the public
8. Enhancing systems for shortages of critical medicines.

How to deal with medication shortages at your pharmacy

So, what can you do if there is a medication shortage at your pharmacy?

1. Give an alternative medication
2. Report the shortage to the relevant system
3. Have a medication management policy for your pharmacy
4. Liaise with other manufacturers to get supplies from elsewhere
5. Communicate with patients about the issue and how you’re trying to resolve it.
6. Use pharmacy automation to free up staff time and forecast demand for medication.

How pharmacy automation can help with medication shortages

Medication shortages may be reduced with pharmacy automation.

By automating repetitive processes, you can reduce staffing pressures and save time. With ongoing issues with staff shortages, pharmacy automation can fill this gap and help your team focus on other things, such as talking to patients about their medication or sourcing other medications.

It is easier to forecast demand with pharmacy automation so you can be prepared in advance for any supply chain issues.

Medication shortages are set to continue and put pressure on pharmacist and impact patient’s health.

By implementing certain procedures and investing in pharmacy automation, you could help reduce the stress that medication shortages cause to your pharmacy.

If you’d like a free demo of our pharmacy automation machines, please get in touch.