Community pharmacies in England 2006-2022
Since 2006 the number of community pharmacies in England has generally increased. The number of pharmacies stood at almost 12 thousand in 2017/2018, before dropping to a slightly lower number in the following years. The latest number in 2021-2022 stood at 11,522 community pharmacies. That was again a decrease compared to the previous year.
Dispensing numbers
In 2021/22, there were 1.04 billion prescription items dispensed from pharmacies in England. The amount of prescriptions dispensed has increased greatly in the ten-year period displayed. More than 2.4 thousand pharmacies dispensed an average of over ten thousand items a month in 2020/21, although the average number of items dispensed per month per pharmacy was approximately 6.7 thousand in this year.
What is being dispensed?
In 2021, the therapeutic class with the highest total of prescription items dispensed was for the cardiovascular system at some 332 million drugs, followed by drugs for the central nervous system which had approximately 222 million items dispensed. The leading drug dispensed was Atorvastatin which treats those with high cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Dispensing numbers
In 2021/22, there were 1.04 billion prescription items dispensed from pharmacies in England. The amount of prescriptions dispensed has increased greatly in the ten-year period displayed. More than 2.4 thousand pharmacies dispensed an average of over ten thousand items a month in 2020/21, although the average number of items dispensed per month per pharmacy was approximately 6.7 thousand in this year.
What is being dispensed?
In 2021, the therapeutic class with the highest total of prescription items dispensed was for the cardiovascular system at some 332 million drugs, followed by drugs for the central nervous system which had approximately 222 million items dispensed. The leading drug dispensed was Atorvastatin which treats those with high cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
