North Wales loses 11 community pharmacies in a decade while Welsh pharmacy demand reaches record high
The number of community pharmacies across north Wales has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to StatsWales figures, in the same year that Welsh pharmacies recorded their busiest year on record for clinical consultations.
There were 144 community pharmacies in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area as of 31 March 2025, down from 155 in 2015 and four fewer than the year before.
The health board has lost 11 pharmacies in ten years, a fall of 7.1% from its peak.
The decline in independent pharmacies within the BCUHB area has been steeper.
Independent pharmacies — those not part of a national or regional chain — fell from 49 in 2015 to 41 in 2025, a loss of eight, or 16.3% over the decade.
Chain pharmacies across the same area fell from 106 to 103 over the same period.
The figures come from StatsWales, the Welsh Government’s official statistical database, which records pharmacy numbers by health board each March.
Across Wales, the total number of community pharmacies also fell, from a peak of 716 in 2015 to 690 in March 2025.
BCUHB’s loss of 11 pharmacies over that period accounts for roughly 42% of the Wales-wide decline, despite the health board representing around a fifth of all pharmacies in Wales.
The numbers run alongside a sharp rise in demand.
New community pharmacy service statistics published by the Welsh Government show that more than 462,000 consultations took place through the common ailments service between April 2024 and March 2025 — the highest figure recorded since the scheme began.
The common ailments service provides free advice and treatment for 27 conditions including sore throats, hay fever, conjunctivitis and dermatitis, and is available in 99% of pharmacies across Wales.
Almost 346,000 people used the service in the year.
Pharmacies also carried out more than 53,000 consultations for sore throat treatment, more than 33,000 for contraception advice and treatment, and more than 121,000 emergency supply consultations for patients who had run out of medication.
Across all services, Welsh pharmacies carried out more than 600,000 clinical consultations in 2024/25.
Pharmacies also dispensed more than 80 million prescription items over the same 12 months.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: “Community pharmacies play a vital role in providing healthcare across Wales.”
“Nearly half a million consultations in a single year shows just how much people value being able to walk into their local pharmacy and get the help they need quickly, without having to wait for a GP appointment.”
“We are working to ensure more people can receive convenient care closer to home, and expanding access to these services is a key part of that.”
BCUHB covers north Wales including Flintshire, Wrexham, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey.
The health board has been in Welsh Government special measures since 2023.
The StatsWales data records pharmacies at health board level and does not break down numbers by local authority or individual community.
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