Pharmacy deserts are continuing to grow across England, with over 500 branches closing their doors in the last three years, new research published yesterday has revealed.
Delivery service Gophr - which analysed government, NHS and Office for National Statistics data for eight English regions - said the country has seen 551 pharmacy closures between 2022 and 2025.
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The closures coincide with increased demand for pharmacy services, with Gophr’s research finding that pharmacists dispensed an additional 83.5 million prescriptions per year over the same period.
Pharmacy deserts are areas that lack sufficient pharmacy provisions to serve their communities, resulting in increased pressure on remaining pharmacies and patients having to travel further to access pharmacy services.
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According to the analysis, the South East of England is the largest pharmacy desert in the country, with 6,138 people per pharmacy, closely followed by the South West, where there are 6,091 people for every pharmacy.
The North West and the South East saw the most branch closures of any region, with both losing 95 pharmacies since 2022.
“Concerned”
Gophr strategic account director Graham Smith said the company is “concerned” by the growing number pharmacy deserts across England since 2022, adding that there is “little sign of the trend slowing”.
He said 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.”
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It comes after drugmaker Eli Lilly launched its dispensing and delivery service LillyDirect in the UK last week.
And it follows new data revealing that the number of community pharmacies in Northern Ireland has hit its lowest number in a decade.