Gophr data reveals growing ‘Pharmacy Deserts’ amid surging closures across England

Pharmacy deserts are most prevalent in the South East, with 6,024 people per pharmacy

Online pharmacy delivery partner Gophr has released new data showing a further drop in pharmacy numbers in England, resulting in a phenomenon they call 'Pharmacy Deserts'.

Gophr highlighted that a significant portion of the population now lives in 'pharmacy deserts,' referring to the situation where an increasing number of urban residents struggle to access a shrinking number of pharmacies.

For the second consecutive year, Gophr has analysed the data for its 'Prescription For Pressure' initiative.

The analysis showed that in 2023, pharmacists dispensed 1.18 billion prescriptions across England, marking an increase of 137 million compared to 2022.

The average number of prescriptions per pharmacy stands at 103,380, which equates to 283 a day.

As calculated by Gophr’s data experts, pharmacy numbers decreased from 11,522 in 2022 to 11,414 in 2023, reflecting a decline of 108 compared to the previous year's 'Prescription For Pressure'.

Gophr’s data also showed that pharmacy deserts are most prominent in the South East (6,024 people per pharmacy), the East of England (5,327), the South West (5,284), and the Midlands (4,975).

London, which ranked high last year, fell out of the top four, with 4,759 people per pharmacy.

Gophr's analysis of supermarket data also revealed that retailers like ASDA, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s have seen more and more in-store pharmacies shut down in recent years.

A notable example is Sainsbury's closure of all 237 in-store Lloyds pharmacies in June 2023.

Graham Smith, Strategic Account Director at Gophr, commented: “The second year of data from our “Prescription for Pressure” initiative shows that the pressures on pharmacies continue to grow.

“More prescriptions, more patients, more responsibilities but fewer pharmacies does not make for pretty reading and this new analysis really brings it home.”

He stated that the sector needs to reconsider how it serves its patients, noting that the current solutions provided by in-house pharmacy delivery teams are proving “costly, time-consuming, and ultimately a distraction from clinical focus.”

Additionally, the research uncovered growing pressures within the industry, exacerbated by the implementation of the 'Pharmacy First' initiative.

The Pharmacy First scheme, which allows patients to be referred to a community pharmacy for a minor illness or an urgent repeat medicine supply, has created an even greater workload for already overstretched pharmacists.

The increasing elderly population is believed to be driving the demand for pharmacy services. Across England and Wales, people aged 65 and over now account for nearly 20 per cent of the population, according to Gophr.