Pharmacy data — sources & methodology
Every figure on Pharmosphere’s pharmacy pages comes from official, published NHS open data. This page explains exactly what the data is, where it comes from, how current it is, and how to read it.
What the data covers
Pharmosphere holds a directory of around 12,700 active NHS community pharmacies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with each pharmacy’s monthly NHS dispensing volume, the services it provides, and — where published — the NHS payments it received. A pharmacy is counted as “active” when it recorded dispensing in its nation’s latest published month.
What “items dispensed” means
An item is a single prescription line dispensed and reimbursed by the NHS. If a prescription is for one medicine, that is one item, regardless of the quantity or pack size. Item counts are the standard way to compare pharmacy dispensing volume, because they track how many prescriptions a pharmacy handles rather than the cash value of the medicines. Figures are monthly and cover NHS dispensing only — private prescriptions and over-the-counter sales are not included.
Where it comes from
- England — NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) dispensing data and the NHS England pharmacy list.
- Scotland — Public Health Scotland community pharmacy dispensing open data.
- Wales — NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) dispensing data and directory.
- Northern Ireland — HSC Business Services Organisation / Open Data NI dispensing data.
- Locations — postcode and place data from postcodes.io and the Office for National Statistics.
How current it is
Each nation publishes on its own schedule, so the latest available month differs between them — England’s NHSBSA data typically runs a couple of months behind the current month, which is normal, not out-of-date. Every pharmacy page shows the month its figures cover, and we refresh each nation’s data as soon as the new month is published.
How to read it
These are official dispensing figures presented for information only. They describe NHS activity — they are nota statement of any pharmacy’s profit, turnover or performance, and gross NHS payments are mostly the reimbursed cost of medicines, not income. Use the figures to understand and compare NHS dispensing activity, not to infer a business’s financial health.
Licence & attribution
Source: NHSBSA and NHS England open data (England), Public Health Scotland open data (Scotland), NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership open data (Wales), HSC Business Services Organisation / Open Data NI (Northern Ireland), and location data from postcodes.io / Office for National Statistics. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Monthly figures, for information only — not a statement of any business’s actual income or performance.