New research from last-mile delivery specialist Gophr has revealed that pharmacies across England continue to close at startling rates, with over 500 shutting their doors since 2022.
Gophr analysis also revealed that during this period, pharmacists dispensed an additional 83.5 million
Marking the return of the “Prescription for Pressure” initiative, Gophr’s pharmacy division has been tracking the increase in ‘Pharmacy Deserts’, where growing populations are left relying on a shrinking number of pharmacies since 2022, analysing Government, NHS and ONS data across eight regions in England. The largest ‘deserts’ were:
| Pharmacy Desert Ranking | English region | People per pharmacy (2025) | Pharmacy closures 2022-2025 | Growth in the number of prescriptions dispensed per year, 2022-2025 |
| 1 | South East | 6138 | 95 | +10,228,580 |
| 2 | South West | 6091 | 64 | +7,307,531 |
| 3 | East of England | 5957 | 77 | +8,619,508 |
| 4 | East Midlands | 5415 | 27 | +7,627,985 |
| 5 | West Midlands | 4895 | 56 | +9,537,591 |
| 6 | North East & Yorkshire | 4744 | 84 | +16,941,382 |
| 7 | London | 4705 | 53 | +9,360,557 |
| 8 | North West | 4514 | 95 | +13,889,782 |
| *Data from March 2022 to October 2025 | ||||
The South East is the largest ‘Pharmacy Desert’, recording the highest average number of people per pharmacy (6,138). Additionally, the region also has the joint-highest number of pharmacy closures since 2022 (95), and more than 10.2 million additional prescriptions dispensed over the same period.
It is closely followed by the South West (6,091) and the East of England (5,957) to round off the top three pharmacy desert regions.
The North East and Yorkshire have both seen a substantial increase in prescriptions since 2022 (17 million) compared to the rest of the country, despite 84 closures. Meanwhile, London has seen 53 pharmacies shut and almost 9.4 million additional prescriptions since 2022.
With pharmacy deserts increasing, customer are looking to avoid travelling or joining lengthy queues at their local pharmacy in favour of speed and convenience. YouGov data shows 40% of Brits would have their prescriptions delivered to them if such a service were available, with 79% citing convenience and 33% citing “difficulty getting to the pharmacy” as reasons for wanting this option.
However, YouGov data suggests that this demand for delivery is not being met by pharmacists, with only 18% saying that they have had their prescriptions delivered.
Graham Smith, Strategic Account Director at Gophr, stated: “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.”
“While financial struggles may make implementing a third-party delivery service daunting, 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”
