Key facts: Reading
- NHS pharmacies in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (2024/25)
- 262
- Opened / closed in the year
- 12 / 15
- Run by independents
- 50.4% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 92,957 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 493 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
Community pharmacy in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West
Across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, which takes in Reading, there were 262 NHS community pharmacies in 2024/25. Independents (five or fewer pharmacies) held 132 of them, 50.4%, and multiples 130; the England share of independents is 49.9%, and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ranks 9th of 37 on it. The ICB also covers Oxford.
The balance between independents and multiples is close to the national picture.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West
The year brought 15 closures and 12 openings, leaving 3 fewer pharmacies. As a share of the network, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West lost 5.7% to closure, set against 6.4% nationally (rank 23 of 37).
When a pharmacy closes, its prescriptions move to those that remain. That can lift volumes at a well-placed pharmacy, but lenders want to see the uplift in dispensing figures, not only in a forecast.
Next door, Slough (Frimley) saw 3 openings and 6 closures among 135 pharmacies, Swindon (Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire) saw 8 openings and 12 closures among 149 pharmacies and Guildford (Surrey Heartlands) saw 8 openings and 10 closures among 170 pharmacies.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Dispensing volume is the core of pharmacy income. In 2024/25 the typical Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West pharmacy handled 92,957 items (England 104,192), 24,354,665 across the area, ranking 33rd of 37, with 95.1% sent electronically. Lower average volumes mean each pharmacy's own figures, and its services, carry more weight with a lender than the area average.
On services, pharmacies here gave 138,549 NHS flu jabs (600 per participating pharmacy, England 437) and 129,129 New Medicine Service consultations, while 87.8% offered hypertension case-finding against 86.4% nationally. A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Reading pharmacy purchase
A lender looking at a Reading pharmacy will compare its items and services with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West picture, then read the lease and your track record. Remember stock at completion and NHS payments in arrears: working capital often sits beside the acquisition loan. Our guide to buying a pharmacy covers the steps. The practice purchase loan calculator shows repayments against profit.
Premises, regulation and security
In England, a pharmacy freehold bought outright attracts Stamp Duty Land Tax on the non-residential scale, and the lender's security is a legal charge at HM Land Registry. If the building is rented, lenders read the lease closely: a short unexpired term caps the loan term.
The incoming owner applies for the NHS change of ownership and registers the premises with the General Pharmaceutical Council; lenders expect both in hand before completion.
Lenders for Reading pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Reading, as anywhere, we search the whole market and approach the lenders whose criteria fit. Fees depend on the lender; nothing is payable upfront.
Common questions
Are Reading pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 12 opened and 15 closed across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West, leaving 262 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West?
They averaged 92,957 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
Do you lend to Reading pharmacists?
No, we are a broker. We search the whole market for lenders that fund pharmacies and put your case to them. Fees depend on the lender, with nothing to pay upfront.
