Plymouth and Exeter, the two largest cities in Devon, record the highest GP-to-pharmacy ratios of any English city measured by PharmSee — and the pattern is not a coincidence. The data points to a structural pharmacy access challenge running through the South West that has implications for workforce planning, Pharmacy First delivery, and community health outcomes.
The numbers
PharmSee's analysis of NHSBSA dispensing contractor data and NHS Digital GP practice registers produces the following picture within a three-mile radius of each city centre:
| City | GP practices | Pharmacies | GP-to-pharmacy ratio | Zero-revenue branches | Revenue per active branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth (PL1 1AA) | 64 | 43 | 1.49:1 | 8 (18.6%) | £119,334 |
| Exeter (EX1 1HD) | 37 | 26 | 1.42:1 | 8 (30.8%) | £151,513 |
By comparison, the median GP-to-pharmacy ratio across the nine English cities PharmSee has measured in depth is approximately 0.90:1. Both Devon cities exceed this by more than 50 percentage points.
What the ratio means in practice
A higher GP-to-pharmacy ratio indicates that each pharmacy in the catchment serves more GP practices — and, by extension, more patients presenting with prescriptions. In Exeter, each active pharmacy supports approximately 2.1 GP practices; in Plymouth, approximately 1.8. In cities like Leeds (0.89:1) or London (0.90:1), the corresponding figure is below 1.0.
This helps explain the revenue figures. Exeter's £151,513 revenue per active branch is the highest PharmSee has recorded for any English city — higher than Newcastle (£141,431) or Liverpool (£116,291). Plymouth's £119,334 is also above the multi-city average.
The zero-revenue question
Exeter's 30.8% zero-revenue rate is notable. Eight of 26 registered pharmacies within the three-mile catchment recorded no dispensing activity in the most recent NHSBSA quarter. This figure should be treated with caution: NHSBSA data has reporting lag, and a zero-revenue record can reflect temporary closures, contractor code changes, or data-submission delays rather than permanent closure.
Plymouth's 18.6% zero-revenue rate is closer to the English urban average.
Hiring in the corridor
PharmSee tracks 1,605 active pharmacy vacancies across 11 employer sources nationally. Within a 25-mile radius:
| City | Total vacancies | Top employers |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 30 | Well (13), Boots (11), NHS Jobs (3) |
| Exeter | 23 | NHS Jobs (9), Well (4), Superdrug (4), Tesco (3), Boots (2) |
The combined 53 vacancies across the Devon corridor represent a modest but consistent hiring signal. Exeter's employer mix is notably more diverse, drawing from six sources compared to Plymouth's six — but with NHS Jobs as the lead employer rather than a community chain.
Why Devon stands out
Several factors appear to contribute to the corridor's high ratios. Devon's dispersed population means GP practices serve wide geographic catchments, while pharmacy provision in smaller towns may not keep pace with the GP footprint. The county's older demographic profile — Devon has one of the highest median ages of any English county — drives higher prescription volumes per capita.
The South West has historically had fewer pharmacy applications per capita than the North West or London, according to NHS England primary care commissioning data. This supply-side constraint may be compounding the demand-side pressure visible in the GP ratio data.
What it means for pharmacists
For pharmacists considering where to work, Devon's corridor offers above-average revenue per branch and a structural demand signal that is unlikely to reverse quickly. The PharmSee salary explorer shows South West pharmacist roles, and the job search tool lists current vacancies across both cities.
For pharmacy owners and commissioners, the data suggests that new pharmacy capacity in the Exeter and Plymouth catchments would face less competitive pressure than equivalent openings in cities with sub-1.0 ratios.
Methodology and caveats
All figures are derived from PharmSee's analysis of NHSBSA dispensing contractor data (most recent available quarter) and NHS Digital GP practice registers, queried via the PharmSee location analysis tool at a three-mile radius from each city centre postcode. Revenue figures reflect NHS dispensing revenue only and do not capture private dispensing, retail sales, or service income. The GP-to-pharmacy ratio is a blunt instrument that does not account for practice list sizes, branch opening hours, or cross-boundary patient flows. It should be read as a directional indicator of relative pharmacy access, not an absolute measure of service adequacy.
Sources: NHSBSA dispensing data, NHS Digital GP Practice Register, PharmSee database (13 April 2026). Explore Devon pharmacy data at PharmSee's pharmacy search or run your own location analysis.