Medicine shortages are “not getting better” with the list of affected drugs continuing to grow, a pharmacy leader has warned. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, warned that chemists were consistently seeing common items “all of a sudden shooting up in price and becoming very difficult to obtain”. She added: “When they start going short in stock, the prices shoot up, leaving pharmacists out of pocket and many unable to buy these because they’re not getting reimbursed.

“It is a very, very difficult situation, and unfortunately, we are not seeing any attempt by the Department of Health to look at the fundamental issue here — that the whole system needs reviewing.” Common drugs that have been affected in recent months include painkillers such as aspirin and blood pressure medications, including ramipril and propranolol. Medications for epilepsy and depression have also been hit.

Dr Hannbeck said pharmacists were sometimes asked to ration supplies, prioritising patients with the highest need. Export bans have been introduced to protect UK stocks.

But she added: “At the end of the day, that doesn’t solve the problem. This can help a little bit, but it’s patching up. It doesn’t really solve the real issue, which is the whole system needs reviewing.”

The top pharmacist warned that medicine shortages were becoming a daily problem. She said: “Before it used to be more occasional, affecting particular medicines here and there.

“It’s now daily that we’re was struggling to get medicines in, and it’s affecting a lot of common medicines. Right now it’s affecting really, very popular medicines as well that affect a significant portion of the population.”

Dr Hannbeck urged patients not to panic or attempt to stockpile medication, as this can make shortages worse. However, she asked members of the public to help raise awareness of the issue by writing to their MPs.

She said: “Community pharmacists will always do everything they can to not leave you without your medicine, but we continue asking patients to please raise this your local member of parliament.

“As healthcare professionals, we have been banging on about this, but patients’ voices need to be heard.

“Whilst you may get your medicines because we’ve gone over and above to ensure that you get it, this system is not sustainable. We are worried that as months pass by, it will get worse if the fundamentals are not addressed.

“So before things get worse, get in touch with members of the parliament and raise this.”

Dr Hannbeck also asked patients to be understanding when visiting their chemist. She added: “Some patients get abusive in the pharmacies, they start throwing things around and shout abuse. It’s not our fault.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The UK’s licensed medicines are in good supply and to make sure this remains the case, we are investing more in the domestic medicine manufacturing industry.

“We are aware of supply issues with some medicines to treat blood pressure — we are working closely with suppliers to resolve current disruptions and ensure continuity of supply.”