Plymouth's pharmacy market presents a distinctive picture within the South West. According to PharmSee's analysis of NHS England data, the city has a GP-to-pharmacy ratio of 1.49:1 — the highest of any English city profiled to date. That figure suggests more GP practices generating prescriptions than pharmacies available to dispense them, a pattern that distinguishes Plymouth from most other urban centres.
The data
| Metric | Plymouth PL1 (3-mile radius) |
|---|---|
| GP practices nearby | 64 |
| Registered pharmacies | 43 |
| GP-to-pharmacy ratio | 1.49:1 |
| Pharmacies with zero dispensing revenue | 8 (18.6%) |
| Active pharmacies (with revenue) | 35 |
| Total dispensing revenue | £4,176,674 |
| Revenue per active pharmacy | £119,334 |
The 1.49:1 ratio is materially higher than the next closest city PharmSee has measured — Liverpool at 1.42:1 — and substantially above the 0.79:1 to 0.93:1 range typical of cities such as Nottingham, Newcastle, Manchester, and Leeds.
What the ratio means in practice
A GP-to-pharmacy ratio above 1.0 implies that, on average, each pharmacy serves more than one GP practice's worth of prescription volume. In Plymouth's case, 35 active pharmacies share the prescribing output of 64 GP practices — an effective ratio of 1.83:1 when zero-revenue branches are excluded.
This higher demand-per-pharmacy is reflected in revenue figures. Plymouth's active pharmacies average £119,334 in dispensing revenue, placing the city fourth among those profiled — behind only Newcastle (£141,431), Liverpool (£116,291), and ahead of Manchester (£108,550), Leeds (£99,210), Nottingham (£92,542), and London (£66,788).
How Plymouth compares
| City (3mi) | GP | Pharm | Ratio | Zero-rev % | Rev/active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 64 | 43 | 1.49:1 | 18.6% | £119,334 |
| Liverpool | 150 | 106 | 1.42:1 | 17.9% | £116,291 |
| Manchester | 100 | 108 | 0.93:1 | 15.7% | £108,550 |
| Leeds | 78 | 88 | 0.89:1 | 23.9% | £99,210 |
| Nottingham | 67 | 85 | 0.79:1 | 22.4% | £92,542 |
| Newcastle | 67 | 85 | 0.79:1 | 25.9% | £141,431 |
| London EC1A | 262 | 292 | 0.90:1 | 11.3% | £66,788 |
Plymouth's combination of high ratio and high revenue per branch makes it an outlier in the South West. Exeter, profiled in an earlier PharmSee analysis, showed a similarly elevated ratio (1.42:1) but with a smaller pharmacy count. The pattern may be characteristic of the Devon and Cornwall peninsula, where coastal geography limits the number of viable pharmacy sites.
The job market
PharmSee tracks 31 active pharmacy vacancies within 25 miles of Plymouth.
| Employer source | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Well Pharmacy | 13 |
| Boots UK | 11 |
| NHS Jobs | 3 |
| Asda | 2 |
| Rowlands | 1 |
| Tesco | 1 |
Two employers — Well Pharmacy and Boots UK — account for 77% of tracked vacancies. NHS trust roles are scarce, with just three listings, reflecting Plymouth's smaller hospital pharmacy footprint compared to major teaching hospital cities.
Implications for pharmacy professionals
Plymouth's data profile suggests a market where active community pharmacies handle above-average prescription volume, but where the job market is dominated by two national chains. For professionals seeking higher dispensing revenue per branch, Plymouth and the wider Devon peninsula merit attention. For those prioritising employer diversity or hospital pharmacy careers, larger cities offer more options.
Caveats
All data is drawn from PharmSee's database of NHS England dispensing contractors and NHSBSA quarterly statistics. The 3-mile radius from PL1 1AA captures central Plymouth; pharmacies in Plympton, Plymstock, and the wider South Hams area fall partially outside this ring. Revenue figures reflect NHS dispensing income only. Vacancy data covers 11 tracked sources and does not include agency or locum listings. Zero-revenue branches may reflect data-reporting lag rather than operational closure.
Explore Plymouth's pharmacy data on PharmSee's location analysis tool, or search vacancies on the job board.
Sources: NHSBSA dispensing data (latest quarterly release), NHS England dispensing contractor register, PharmSee vacancy tracker (11 sources, updated daily)