GPhC register witnesses 2.5% increase of pharmacists registered in last one year

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has witnessed a 2.5 per cent increase of pharmacists on register in the last one year. 

According to GPhC registers data, there has been a rise of pharmacists by 1,518 from 61,139 on 31 May 2022 to 62,657 on 31 May 2023. 

Of the 62,657 pharmacists, 1,742 (2.8 per cent) have a registered address outside of Great Britain. These include recent joiners who have yet to register an address in Great Britain. Others have left Great Britain and are overseas but would like to retain their GPhC registration or have yet to leave the register. 

When compared monthly, till 31 May 2023, the total number of pharmacy professionals on the register increased by 98 to 88,176 from 88,078 at the end of April 2023 -- 71 per cent pharmacists (62,681) and 29 per cent pharmacy technicians (25,495).

However, when split by profession type, it was noted that there has been an overall decrease of five pharmacists and an increase of 50 pharmacy technicians from April 2023. 

The number of pharmacists with a prescribing annotation has increased by 240 from 15,790 on 30 April 2023 to 16,030 on 31 May 2023. This now represents 25.6% of registered pharmacists where the overall proportion is continuing to increase.

There were 13,709 registered pharmacies on 31 May 2023, a decrease of 97 from last month in total (93 less in England, one less in Scotland and three less in Wales). 

The Council said in its report: “The overall numbers of pharmacies have been falling in the last eight years in England and Wales with some increases in Scotland, where numbers fluctuate monthly.” 

As on 31 May 2023, the number of registered pharmacists having a prescriber annotation has increased by 240 since the last month to 16,030 out of 62,657, this is 25.6% of the register. 

These include 14,871 independent prescribers only, 915 pharmacists who hold both independent and supplementary prescribing annotations and 244 supplementary prescribers only.