The number of community pharmacies is set to reach its lowest level in 20 years by the end of next month, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned.

With an average of seven pharmacies closing a week so far this year, the NPA said that by the end of September, the current 10,054 could dip below the 10,000 mark for the first time since 2005, when there were 9,872 pharmacies.

In the last two decades, community pharmacy workload has 'drastically increased', the NPA said, citing a 56% increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed.

But in the last 10 years, more than half (63%) of community pharmacies sampled across England had decreased their opening hours - compared to 2.5% that had increased them - while 5% had shut their doors completely, according to the NPA.

The organisation is urging health secretary Wes Streeting 'to urgently reverse cuts to community pharmacies', it said.

Paul Rees, NPA chief executive, commented: '2005 saw the launch of You Tube, McFly making number one in the charts and George W Bush inaugurated for his second term as US president.

'Now is not the time to allow a vital part of NHS local services to decline to levels not seen since the dawn of social media.

'This is a vital opportunity to halt the closures and invest in community pharmacies, which provide prescriptions, clinical services and health support to neighbourhoods up and down the country.

'Preventing the ongoing collapse of community pharmacy will help to cut waiting times for GPs, provide better immediate care for patients and keep the front door to the NHS open.'