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The number of pharmacist independent prescribers (PIPs) in England grew by 34% between 2023 and 2024, but most said they do not use their qualifications, according to findings from the most recent NHS England ‘Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey‘.
Published on 27 June 2025, the results recorded a total 1,996 full-time equivalent (FTE) independent prescribers in 2024 — up from 1,494 in 2023.
This equates to about one IP for every five community pharmacy premises, the report said.
Of the 10,553 pharmacies in England at the time of the survey, which was carried out in the autumn of 2024, NHS England received 9,510 responses in total, 722 of which were excluded because they had incorrectly completed the survey.
As a result, the report has warned that the actual number of PIPs in England may be higher than recorded.
Despite the increase in qualified PIPs, the results show there is regional variation in the number of them using their prescribing qualification in practice.
The highest proportion of PIPs using their qualification in practice was in North West London, where 15% of respondents said that an IP was currently prescribing at their pharmacy. The survey shows that there were 145 FTE independent prescribers practising in this area.
This was followed by South East London (71 FTE PIPs) and Mid and South Essex (49 PIPs) where the figure was 14%.
In North East London (127 PIPs) and North Central London (85 PIPs) 13% of respondents reported an IP prescribing at their pharmacy, while this figure ranged from 1–10% in all other regions in England.
The survey findings also show a 5% increase in the community pharmacist headcount, from 27,487 in 2023 to 28,763 in 2024. There was also a 12% decrease in the full-time equivalent (FTE) vacancy rate.
The data also show a reduction in the FTE locum pharmacist workforce, which has dropped by 12% from 6,073 in 2023 to 5,372 in 2024.
Commenting on the survey figures, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association, said: “It is promising to see some of the key metrics improving, following consistent decline since 2021. Despite the size of the community pharmacy network reducing, several staff groups have seen growth.
“However, [it is concerning] that almost one in four pharmacies had access to an independent prescriber during the survey week, yet less than 10% used their skills in their community role,” he added.
“Independent prescribing’s success depends on three critical factors — sufficient designated prescribing practitioners, commissioned NHS services to prescribe against, and training to support the existing workforce to become independent prescribers.
“We encourage the government to incorporate independent prescribing into an expanded Pharmacy First service to help deliver on its objectives of moving more preventative care in the community.”
Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “A rise in the number of independent prescribers is a positive development for community pharmacy. More independent prescribers is an underpinning for an expanded role for pharmaceutical care and allows pharmacies to better support patients and the wider NHS family.
“However, as this data shows at the moment these extensive skills are not being fully utilised, which is concerning.
“We urge the government to use the upcoming ten-year plan to expand the role of community pharmacy to empower independent prescribers to take on additional responsibilities and fully utilise the skills they have developed.”
In December 2024, a team of researchers — including Bruce Warner, former deputy chief pharmaceutical officer for England, and Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society — recommended that “newly qualified prescribers need to start prescribing with support immediately after qualifying” to build confidence and develop their competence.
The NHS England Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey began in 2017, pharmacy contractor participation of which has been mandatory since October 2022.
