The Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation dataset provides national insight into the performance, capacity and strategic direction of pharmacy services across the NHS. Benchmarking workforce, finance, service delivery, digital maturity and clinical pharmacy activity to identify variation, highlight best practice and support system-wide improvement in medicines optimisation.
The data reflects a service balancing financial pressures, medicines supply challenges and workforce transformation, while continuing to shift from a predominantly dispensing model towards enhanced clinical and patient-facing care.
Our outputs highlight opportunities for organisations to optimise medicines use, strengthen workforce sustainability and advance the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred pharmacy services.
Registration Opens
April
Data Collection
w/c 25th May
Validation
July - September
Outputs Released
October
Findings Events
November
Key Dates for 2026/27:
Key Themes:
Medicines costs
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Medicines spend
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CIP targets
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Medical gases
Clinical Pharmacy
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Dedicated resource
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Prescribers
Stock and procurement
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Order numbers
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Line numbers
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Medicines shortages
Prescription turnaround
Homecare
Dispensing
Workforce
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Workforce size
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Skill mix
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Vacancy rate
As well as digital, medicines information, antimicrobials, research and clinical trials, medicines safety and virtual wards.