More pharmacies than ever are dispensing more than 10,000 items each month, NHS figures have shown.

Seventeen per cent of pharmacies in England dispensed a monthly average of more than 10,000 items in 2013-14, more than double the number who reached this level in 2006-7, according to data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) on Wednesday (November 19).

HSCIC data revealed that the average pharmacy dispensed 6,784 items a month, a 2 per cent increase on the previous year and a 20 per cent increase on 2006-7. The total number of items dispensed in community pharmacies in 2013-14 had followed a "year-on-year trend" by rising 4 per cent to a total of 948.2 million items, HSCIC said. 

The total amount spent on dispensing fees followed a similar trajectory, rising to £966m in 2013-14. This was a 3 per cent rise on the previous year and a 51 per cent rise on a decade ago, HSCIC said.

The average net ingredient cost per dispensing fee fell for the ninth year, dropping to £7.98, HSCIC said. It attributed this to a combination of category M adjustments, an increase in generics dispensing and the continuing effects of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme's reduction in branded drug prices.

HSCIC data also showed that 152 pharmacies opened in England in 2013-14, increasing the total number to 11,647.

Commitment to patient safety

On Tuesday (November 18), Pharmacy Voice and Teva published the results of an audit that revealed that pharmacies detect an average of 1.4 errors for every 10,000 items dispensed. Pharmacy Voice used the results of the audit, conducted from the internal reporting systems of 6,415 community pharmacies from nine of the 10 largest multiples throughout 2013, to estimate that 99.9 per cent of prescription items were dispensed without incident.

Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott said the audit confirmed the "commitment of all community pharmacy teams to patient safety". "We would like to see more action from manufacturers to avoid similar [medicine] packaging and help pharmacy teams do their jobs efficiently and safely," he added.

In September, pharmacy leaders warned that new funding requirements that prevent pharmacies from anonymously reporting patient safety incidents could put them at risk of prosecution.

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