Key facts: Worcester
- NHS pharmacies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire (2024/25)
- 120
- Opened / closed in the year
- 3 / 5
- Run by independents
- 49.2% (England 49.9%)
- Items dispensed per pharmacy
- 106,210 (England 104,192)
- NMS consultations per pharmacy
- 595 (England 508)
- NHS commissioner
- NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB
Source: NHS Business Services Authority, General Pharmaceutical Services 2024/25, Herefordshire and Worcestershire figures. 37 ICBs outside London are ranked.
Community pharmacy in Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Who owns the pharmacies matters to anyone buying one. In Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 2024/25, 59 of 120 NHS community pharmacies (49.2%) belonged to independents with five or fewer branches and 61 to multiples. England's independent share is 49.9%; Herefordshire and Worcestershire ranks 13th of 37.
The balance between independents and multiples is close to the national picture.
Pharmacy openings and closures, Herefordshire and Worcestershire
3 pharmacies opened and 5 closed during 2024/25, a net loss of 2. Closures were 4.2% of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire total (England 6.4%), 33rd highest 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.
Around Worcester, New Medicine Service activity per pharmacy was 451 in Birmingham (Birmingham and Solihull), 585 in Gloucester (Gloucestershire) and 555 in Wolverhampton (Black Country), against 595 here.
Dispensing volumes and NHS services
Dispensing volume is the core of pharmacy income. In 2024/25 the typical Herefordshire and Worcestershire pharmacy handled 106,210 items (England 104,192), 12,745,209 across the area, ranking 14th of 37, with 95.4% sent electronically. With volumes near the England norm, the individual pharmacy's direction of travel matters more than the area figure.
Hypertension case-finding ran in 101 Herefordshire and Worcestershire pharmacies (84.2%, England 86.4%); the area also delivered 71,382 New Medicine Service consultations and 51,041 NHS flu vaccinations in 2024/25. A strong services record gives a lender more than one income stream to rely on.
Financing a Worcester pharmacy purchase
A lender looking at a Worcester pharmacy will compare its items and services with the Herefordshire and Worcestershire 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
A pharmacy freehold bought in England is subject to Stamp Duty Land Tax on non-residential rates. Any premises loan is secured by a legal charge registered with HM Land Registry. For leased premises, expect a lender to ask for the lease and to match the loan term to it.
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 Worcester pharmacies
Lenders for pharmacies are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for Worcester, 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 Worcester pharmacies opening or closing?
In 2024/25, 3 opened and 5 closed across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, leaving 120 on NHS Business Services Authority figures.
How busy are pharmacies in Herefordshire and Worcestershire?
They averaged 106,210 items each in 2024/25, against 104,192 across England.
How independent is the Herefordshire and Worcestershire pharmacy market?
49.2% of pharmacies belonged to contractors with five or fewer pharmacies in 2024/25, against 49.9% across England.
