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Pharmacy

Asked by Ian RoomeLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 25 September 2025UIN 76890

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications for additional pharmacies were declined following a pharmaceutical needs assessment that identified a lack of need in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock

Decisions on applications to open a new pharmacy are delegated from NHS England to National Health Service integrated care boards, and the Department does not hold data on how many applications were rejected or the reasons for these rejections. If a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) identifies a lack of need for a new pharmacy in the area, pharmacy contractors can still apply to open a pharmacy to provide benefits to the local communities that were not foreseen in the PNA.

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