Key facts: Stoke-on-Trent
- NHS pharmacies in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (2024/25)
- 242
- Opened / closed in the year
- 9 / 11
- Run by independents
- 47.1% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 108,300 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 624 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
Stoke-on-Trent pharmacies: who owns them
242 community pharmacies dispensed NHS prescriptions across NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, the ICB that covers Stoke-on-Trent, in 2024/25. 114 were run by independent contractors with five or fewer pharmacies and 128 by multiples: 47.1% independent against 49.9% nationally, 18th highest of 37 ICBs outside London.
The balance between independents and multiples is close to the national picture.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Closure rate is a useful test of local pressure: in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent it was 4.5% in 2024/25 (11 pharmacies), against 6.4% for England, putting the ICB 31st of 37. 9 opened over the same period.
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.
For comparison, Derby (Derby and Derbyshire) averaged 97,681 items per pharmacy with 36.4% independent, Manchester (Greater Manchester) averaged 100,220 items per pharmacy with 47.5% independent and Wolverhampton (Black Country) averaged 97,604 items per pharmacy with 62.3% independent.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Across the year, 26,208,611 NHS items were dispensed here: 108,300 for the average pharmacy, where England's average is 104,192; only 10 of 37 ICBs were busier. Electronic prescriptions made up 96.3%. With volumes near the England norm, the individual pharmacy's direction of travel matters more than the area figure.
On services, pharmacies here gave 84,009 NHS flu jabs (391 per participating pharmacy, England 437) and 150,936 New Medicine Service consultations, while 91.7% 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 Stoke-on-Trent pharmacy purchase
Pharmacy prices are mostly goodwill, so lenders read several years of dispensing, NHS income and services against figures like these, alongside the lease and your contribution. Stock has to be funded at completion and NHS reimbursement arrives in arrears, so plan working capital with the loan. See our guide to buying a pharmacy. 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. Where the premises are leased, the remaining term and any break clause limit how long a loan can run.
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 Stoke-on-Trent pharmacies
There is no Stoke-on-Trent lender panel. Lenders that understand pharmacies work across the country, so we search the whole market for each case. Fees depend on the lender and nothing is charged upfront.
Common questions
Are Stoke-on-Trent pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 9 opened and 11 closed across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, leaving 242 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent?
They averaged 108,300 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
Do Stoke-on-Trent pharmacies offer NHS flu vaccinations?
215 of the 242 pharmacies in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent gave NHS flu vaccinations in 2024/25, 84,009 in total.
