Prescription for Pressure: Pharmacy Deserts 22/23

COMMUNITY PHARMACIES IN ENGLAND:

11,414 Total number of community pharmacies in 2023 v 11,522 last year
1.18 Billion Total number of prescriptions in 2023 v 1.04 Billion last year
103,380 Average prescriptions per pharmacy per year (283 per day) v (248 last year)

Pharmacy opening hours are being reduced in many areas *

Note: most up to date data available as per June 2024

*source: #saveourpharmacies

Total number of community pharmacies operating in England:

2020-2021:

11,636

2021-2022:

11,522

2022-2023:

11,414

(Down 222 in this period)

Source: Statista

WHICH AREAS ARE AT RISK OF BECOMING ‘PHARMACY DESERTS’?

A ‘Pharmacy Desert’ is an urban area where more and more people are trying to access a diminishing pool of pharmacies.

South East
East of England
South West
Midlands

Source: Statista

TOP 4 ‘PHARMACY DESERTS’ IN 2023:

South East

9,379,833 Total population (Varbes)
1,557 Total pharmacies (Statista)
6024 People per pharmacy

East of England

6,398,497 Total population (Varbes)
1,201 Total pharmacies (Statista)
5327 People per pharmacy

South West

5,764,881 Total population (Varbes)
1,091 Total pharmacies (Statista)
5284 People per pharmacy

Midlands

10,956,592 Total population (Varbes)
2,202 Total pharmacies (Statista)
4975 People per pharmacy

! Note: London and Midlands no longer in the top 4 (compared to 2022)

MOST PRESCRIBED DRUGS IN ENGLAND

1.18 billion prescription items were dispensed in 2022/2023. The number of items dispensed increased by 13% from 2021-22.
Here are the top 3 most prescribed drugs:

#1

Atorvastatin:
59 m items
(to lower cholesterol)

#2

Omeprazole:
36 m items
(to treat indigestion & heartburn)

#3

Amlodipine :
35 m items
(to treat high blood pressure)

Source: NHS Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) (England 2022/2023)

NEW PRESSURES ON PHARMACIES

The new Pharmacy First service, launched 31st January 2024, gives community pharmacies the power to provide medicines for seven common conditions (listed below) without the need for a GP appointment.
The scheme is set to increase pressures on already stretched pharmacists, with these new responsibilities being added to their current, heavy workload and therefore having an impact on pharmacy users

New delivery options to the rescue

A SELECTION OF PHARMACIES THAT OFFER DELIVERY

Superdrug
Well Pharmacy
LloydsPharmacy
Numark
Rowlands Pharmacy

Kamsons Pharmacy
Boots
Phlo
Jhots Pharmacy

Stringent delivery processes of Controlled Medicines (drugs that are subject to high levels of regulation) and private prescriptions are vital.
(eg. anything that cannot be delivered safely is returned back to the pharmacy the very same day, maintaining a clear chain of custody and ‘No ID, No Delivery’ policies)

PATIENT PHARMACY STRUGGLES:

88-year-old Mary, has dementia but still manages to live alone supported by carers who pop in morning and evening. Mary can't use the online GP system to order her prescription medicines as she isn’t IT literate and struggles with memory lapses.

Her daughter who lives at the other end of the country orders her prescriptions online and lets Mary know when she thinks it's time to visit her local supermarket pharmacy (a 15-minute walk for Mary). However frequent delays in the pharmacy securing the medicine (and no way to reach them on the phone to see if the order has arrived in store) mean that she makes wasted trips - leaving her confused and without medication.

-Mary, 88, North West

Owain is 33 and lives with his family (two children under three) in St Albans. He works at a startup which leaves him with very little free time. Owain recently got a knee injury from running and was prescribed Naproxen.

“Free time for me is rare, what with work and raising a family. Having to go to the pharmacy, and then queuing, eats into that precious free time for me, meaning that I am continually in a rush, and unable to get out and exercise - which is vital for my mental health”

-Owain, 33, St.Albans

Amy is 33 and lives in Winchester with her family. She is self-employed. Amy has asthma and makes use of a Ventolin inhaler to manage her condition. She tends to pick up her inhaler prescriptions when doing other jobs in the week - but it’s not always a smooth process.

“Where my prescription turns up is a bit of guesswork. Sometimes it is at the Tesco Pharmacy, other times it is the pharmacy in the city centre around half a mile away. I fit in my prescription collection around my day so if I’m doing the weekly shop at Tesco, it’s frustrating if my prescription is in the high street pharmacy. It’s another journey. I’d rather be doing it all in one go.”

-Amy, 33, Winchester