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Pharmacy Openings and Closures

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Open Government Licence 3.0 (United Kingdom) [Open Data]

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Pharmacy Openings and Closures

Dataset Description

The pharmacy opening and closures data set shows the numbers of pharmacies in England that are included on a Pharmaceutical List held by NHS England on the last calendar day of each month, and so can provide NHS prescriptions and pharmaceutical services. These are split into three groups by the number of premises in each pharmacy group: Small (1-5), Medium (6-99) and Large (100+) pharmacy groups. This data set also separately includes figures for pharmacies subject to the 100 hours condition and distance selling pharmacies. 

Pharmacies which have changed ownership will be counted as a closure with a new pharmacy opening on the next day, however this doesn’t affect the net change figures. ‘Opened’ means pharmacies that have joined a Pharmaceutical List and started providing NHS services between the first and last calendar day of the month; and ‘closed’ means pharmacies that have been removed from a list and have ceased providing NHS services between first and last calendar day of the month. 

Data is as accurate as the data held by the NHSBSA data warehouse at the time of publishing each month. Total figures may not agree month to month due to openings and closures resulting in pharmacies changing group size or where backdated amendments are made. 

We publish the related dataset Consolidated Pharmaceutical List on a quarterly basis.

Overview of Service

Information about our NHSBSA Prescriptions Data service can be found here - Prescription data | NHSBSA 

Dataset Details

Data Source

NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Data Warehouse.

Data Collection

The dataset is provided from Prescription data collected by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for the operational purpose of reimbursing and remunerating dispensing contractors for the costs of supplying drugs and devices, and providing essential and advanced services, to NHS patients. The data that forms the basis of these statistics is collected as a by-product of this process.

Time Periods

This dataset is published one month in lieu of the current month. Example: October data will be published at the start of November. 

Any backdated amendments to previous months’ data will be included within the most recent published data. 

Geography

This data is for England only.

Statistical Classification

Management Information – This is not an official statistic.

Caveats

Data Accuracy at Time of Publishing

Data is as accurate as the data held by the NHS BSA data warehouse at the time of publishing each month.

Month-to-Month Total Figures Variation

Total figures may not agree month to month due to openings and closures resulting in pharmacies changing group size or where backdated amendments are made.

Treatment of Ownership Changes

Pharmacies which have changed ownership will be counted as a closure with a new pharmacy opening on the next day, however this doesn’t affect the net change figures.

Definition of Opened and Closed Pharmacies

‘Opened’ means pharmacies that have joined a Pharmaceutical List and started providing NHS services between the first and last calendar day of the month; and ‘closed’ means pharmacies that have been removed from a list and have ceased providing NHS services between first and last calendar day of the month.

Enquiries

Who can I contact if I have queries relating to the data?

If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data, please contact DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the name of the dataset for reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

Citing and Reusing This Data

Important information regarding reusing the data and copyright

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data, please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and/or other applicable law. You may use the data freely, provided that you attribute the source.

Citation

NHS Business Services Authority. "Pharmacy Openings and Closures.” NHS Business Services Authority Open Data. Accessed **[Date Accessed]**. URL: https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/pharmacy-openings-and-closures

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Master Data Replacement (MDR)
Contact NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
Version 1.0
State active
Last Updated August 11, 2025, 11:46 (UTC)
Created December 16, 2022, 08:58 (UTC)