Key Summary
- The South West and the East of England had the second and third largest average number of people per pharmacy.
- The North East and Yorkshire have seen the highest increase in prescriptions since 2022.
- Four out of 10 Britons want to have their prescriptions delivered to them, if such a service were available.
Pharmacies across England continue to close at startling rates, with over 500 shutting their doors since 2022, and patients are forced to rely on the dwindling number of pharmacies in their neighbourhoods.
Research by Gophr shows that since 2022, pharmacists dispensed an additional 83.5 million prescriptions per year (from 1.17bn in 2022 to 1.26bn in 2025), adding to the pressure on already stretched pharmacists.
The last-mile delivery specialist said it has been tracking the increase in ‘Pharmacy Deserts’ over 2022 to 2025 and found that the South East was the worst hit.
It has the highest average number of people per pharmacy (6,138), and 95 pharmacies closed from March 2022 to October 2025, with over 10.2 million additional prescriptions dispensed during the same period.
It is closely followed by the South West (6,091) and the East of England (5,957), with 64 and 77 closures during the period.
The North East and Yorkshire have seen the highest increase in prescriptions since 2022 (around 17 million) and 84 closures.
Home delivery
Amid a shrinking pharmacy base, customers are keen to avoid travelling or joining lengthy queues at their local pharmacy in favour of speed and convenience.
A YouGov poll shows that four out of 10 (40 percent) Britons would have their prescriptions delivered to them if such a service were available, with nearly eight out of 10 (79 percent) citing convenience and 33 percent citing "difficulty getting to the pharmacy" as reasons for wanting this option.
However, YouGov data suggests that this demand is not being met by pharmacists, with only 18 percent saying that they have had their prescriptions delivered.
Gophr strategic account director Graham Smith said, “At Gophr, we’ve been monitoring the growing ‘pharmacy deserts' across England since 2022, concerned by the numbers, with little sign of the trend slowing.
“Pharmacists are being asked to do more even as workload, financial constraints, and customer demand place them under significant pressure. Something has to change if pharmacies are going to remain accessible and sustainable in the long term.
“Last year, Gophr analysed the online pharmacy landscape and saw growing demand for distance-selling options, while we’re also seeing more appetite for the home delivery of prescriptions – meaning delivery support should become an increasingly important part of the wider pharmacy discussion.”
Smith pointed out that while pharmacies may find implementing a third-party delivery service daunting, they could be beneficial in the long run.
"A pharmacy chain we’ve partnered with previously saved around £600k over two years. The minimal operating costs, less downtime and typically faster delivery gained from outsourcing can ease the pressure on pharmacists under already tremendous and growing strain.”
