Interactive map lays bare all 100+ of the UK’s worst-performing chemists – so is YOURS one of them?


Britain’s worst-performing pharmacies are today named and shamed by a forensic MailOnline audit — with an interactive map allowing you to check if yours is one of the offenders.

Our investigation reveals 108 high street chemists were reprimanded for failing to meet basic standards over the past year. 

Ten were subject to enforcement action for breaching strict regulatory guidelines. 

One – Chemipharm, in Birmingham – was said to be ‘unclean and unhygienic’, with its standards not meeting those ‘expected of a healthcare environment’.

Another, Osbon Pharmacy in east London, would ‘regularly’ order ‘unusually large volumes of liquid codeine preparations’.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Chemipharm in Birmingham was found to be 'unclean and unhygienic'. The regulator noted its standards of cleanliness and maintenance 'do not meet the standards expected of a healthcare environment'

Chemipharm in Birmingham was found to be ‘unclean and unhygienic’. The regulator noted its standards of cleanliness and maintenance ‘do not meet the standards expected of a healthcare environment’

Osbon Pharmacy in east London is reported to 'regularly' order 'unusually large volumes of liquid codeine preparations'. But it is 'unclear why these medicines are needed as there is little evidence of them being sold or supplied', the watchdog said. The pharmacy was also found to be failing to protect patients' private information sufficiently

Osbon Pharmacy in east London is reported to ‘regularly’ order ‘unusually large volumes of liquid codeine preparations’. But it is ‘unclear why these medicines are needed as there is little evidence of them being sold or supplied’, the watchdog said. The pharmacy was also found to be failing to protect patients’ private information sufficiently

But it is ‘unclear why these medicines are needed as there is little evidence of them being sold or supplied’, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) said. 

The pharmacy was also found to be failing to protect patient’s private information sufficiently. 

MailOnline has flagged all of the offending pharmacies on an interactive map

Every pharmacy is also listed in a table below, with its registration number, location and postcode, allowing you to read how they are judged by the regulator on their website

Worst rated areas for pharmacies 

The areas with the highest proportion of community pharmacies that failed to meet all required standards by the GPC in the last 12 months:

1. London: 14

2. Nottingham: 5

3. Birmingham: 4

4. Bolton: 4

5. Bournemouth: 4  

It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week gave new powers to chemists to prescribe drugs for common ailments under a plan to free up millions of GP appointments. 

The GPhC carries out regular inspections of every pharmacy in the country.

It rates them with one overall outcome — either ‘standards met’ or ‘standards not all met’ — based on five sections.

These are governance, staffing, premises, services and equipment.

All of the standards will need to be met for a pharmacy to receive a standards met outcome. Around 85 per cent of pharmacies meet all the standards when inspected. 

When guidelines are breached, pharmacies are given an action plan ordering them to improve.

Further enforcement action can then be made on chemists who fail to overhaul their services after six months.

This can include imposing conditions on premises dishing out drugs. 

In extreme circumstances, pharmacies can be forced to stop selling prescription-only drugs.

MailOnline’s probe found that close to 150 pharmacies across the UK were ruled to have not met all their standards during the last 12 months. 

Of these, 108 were bricks and mortar chemists. They are marked orange on our map, which can be zoomed in and out.

Many have since overhauled their services, to the satisfaction of the GPhC.   

Eleven of the total — marked red on our map — were subject to enforcement action by the GPhC. 

This total, however, accounts for only 1 per cent of all the 11,000-plus community pharmacies in the UK. 

All inspection reports included in MailOnline’s analysis were published between May 12, 2022 and May 11, 2023. Some of the inspections themselves would have happened before May because of the length of time it can take between inspection and publication of the report.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week gave new powers to chemists to prescribe drugs for common ailments under a plan to free up millions of GP appointments. Pictured, Mr Sunak outside his parents' former pharmacy premises in Southampton

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week gave new powers to chemists to prescribe drugs for common ailments under a plan to free up millions of GP appointments. Pictured, Mr Sunak outside his parents’ former pharmacy premises in Southampton

Under the measures unveiled last week, the Government revealed a pharmacy common ailments scheme in England would be launched before the end of 2023. Under the service, patients will be able to get a prescription from their pharmacist for seven minor illnesses including earache and urinary tract infections without having to see their GP first

Under the measures unveiled last week, the Government revealed a pharmacy common ailments scheme in England would be launched before the end of 2023. Under the service, patients will be able to get a prescription from their pharmacist for seven minor illnesses including earache and urinary tract infections without having to see their GP first. The pharmacy contraception service that launched last month and existing pharmacy blood pressure services will also be expanded

Gareth Jones, director of corporate affairs at The National Pharmacy Association, told MailOnline: ‘There are over 14,000 pharmacies in the UK, the vast majority of whom provide very high-quality health care services. 

‘As in any other regulated sector, the regulatory system exists to check performance and target the relatively small number that need to improve their service in some way.’

He added: ‘Numerous surveys have found that the public has a positive experience of using pharmacies, and trust in pharmacists and their teams is very high for very good reason.’

A GPhC spokesperson said: ‘Pharmacy inspections are intended to help pharmacies improve their systems and services, the quality of care and the outcomes for patients and the public using their services.

‘Any pharmacy not meeting all of the standards has to complete an improvement action plan.

‘Improvement action plans are published alongside the report our inspections website.’

It comes after the Government last week unveiled its long-awaited GP ‘recovery plan’ that aims to ease pressure on overstretched family doctors — partly by handing new powers to pharmacists.

Policymakers hope the scheme, which will take effect by winter, will free up millions of appointments and end the ‘8am scramble’.

It will enable pharmacists to prescribe drugs for conditions including ear infections, sore throats, sinusitis, shingles and minor urine infections.

The move will be backed by £645million in funding.

MailOnline excluded online-only and hospital-based pharmacies from its analysis. 

GPhC’s concerns around internet-based pharmacies are growing. 

In March its director of insight, intelligence and inspection revealed almost a third of all online pharmacies are failing to meet regulatory standards.

‘Overprescribing’ and a lack of ‘appropriate checks in place’ were mentioned among the list of ‘failures’.

The watchdog also issued a safety alert last summer over concerns that drugs were being dished out by too many online pharmacies without proper oversight. 

The regulator said a ‘disproportionate’ 30 per cent of the fitness-to-practice cases it was investigating concerned internet-based pharmacies.

This was despite these pharmacies accounting for a small fraction of the sector.

Earlier this year, MailOnline also performed an audit on the worst-performing GP surgeries in England. 

The pharmacies failing to meet the GPhC required standards  
Pharmacy name GPhC registration number Location  Postcode
A.D. Phillips 1029498 Trimdon Village TS296PY
Amadis Chemist 1040710 London SE13NP
Anglesea Healthy Living Centre 1097324 Orpington BR54AD
Ashton Road Pharmacy 9010342 Oldham OL83HF
Asif Iqbal Pharmacy Ltd 1033188 Bolton BL33NP
Astill Lodge Pharmacy 1034014 Leicester LE41EF
Badham Pharmacy Ltd 1116985 Cheltenham GL504BJ
Badham Pharmacy Ltd 1102783 Tewkesbury GL205EN
Barons Pharmacy 1041445 London W68RL
Bhogal Dispensing Chemist 1028686 Bristol BS56HX
Bilton Pharmacy 1111785 Bradford BD88JT
Bin-Seena Pharmacy 1092477 London W22HZ
Birches Head Pharmacy 1037016 Stoke-On-Trent ST16RS
Boots 1039006 Skipton BD231JP
Bromham Pharmacy 1105565 Bedford MK438JT
Burwash Pharmacy 1107887 Hove BN38GP
Buzz Doctor Pharmacy 1038394 Solihull B903AH
Central Pharmacy 1106929 Margate CT92QN
Chemipharm 1038057 Birmingham B192TR
Chesterton Pharmacy 1031527 Cirencester GL71XQ
Cohens Chemist 9011607 Huddersfield HD75JN
Consult Pharmacy 1103724 Aylesbury HP201JR
Day Lewis Pharmacy 1031631 Andover SP101HF
DB Raval Ltd 9010626 Nottingham NG138BD
Derix Healthcare Pharmacy 1092675 Leigh-On-Sea SS93JP
Dock Pharmacy 1091481 Tilbury RM187BJ
Eclipse Pharmacy 1040213 London E177JH
Globe Pharmacy (Chiswell) 1032348 St. Albans AL23EB
Halliwell Midnight Pharmacy 1099351 Bolton BL13QS
Hallmark Chemists 1037900 Birmingham B66HT
Haydon Bridge Pharmacy Ltd 1095023 Hexham NE476JG
Health Lines Pharmacy 1035406 Corby NN171LJ
Herrington Medical Centre Pharm. 1037495 Houghton Le Spring DH44LE
Hill Top Pharmacy 1088561 Knottingley WF110LA
HMI Pharmacy 1033836 Preston PR42AU
Hollington Pharmacy 1036268 St. Leonards-On-Sea TN377AN
Horsley Hill Pharmacy 1037648 South Shields NE346RF
Jade Pharmacy (Heston Road) 1034943 Hounslow TW50QU
Jardines Pharmacy 1095741 Biggleswade SG188AT
Jardines Pharmacy 9011760 Milton Keynes MK81EQ
Jayplex Dis.Chts 1035681 Nottingham NG53FW
Jhoots Pharmacy 1091161 Stratford-Upon-Avon CV376PP
Jhoots Pharmacy 1028827 Dunstable LU61LN
Jhoots Pharmacy 1090714 Stevenage SG16NH
K K Mistry Pharmacy Limited 1038299 Coventry CV49HS
Karsons Pharma 1090819 Rochester ME12BA
Keencare Ltd. 1040988 London SW1W0LJ
Late Night Columbia Chemist 1030490 Bournemouth BH104DZ
Lawrence Weston Pharmacy 1028709 Bristol BS110QB
Liverpool Road Pharmacy 1034714 St. Helens WA101PQ
Lloydspharmacy 1029075 Aylesbury HP270AX
Lloydspharmacy 9010570 Bedlington NE226JX
Lloydspharmacy 1100088 Dumfries DG14EJ
Lloydspharmacy 1031584 Stroud GL60DU
Lloydspharmacy 1097483 Ayr KA73PR
Lloydspharmacy 1041949 Dollar FK147DA
Lloydspharmacy 1041999 Annan DG125AS
Lloydspharmacy 1040718 London SE16AD
Lloydspharmacy 9010237 Livingston EH549JZ
Lloydspharmacy 1074193 Cheltenham GL504DP
Lloydspharmacy 1040934 London SE229ET
Longfield Pharmacy 1084910 Maldon CM95DF
Lyoncross Pharmacy 1123845 Glasgow G535UW
Malpas Pharmacy 1043425 Newport NP206WB
Manns Pharmacy 1035762 Nottingham NG35QQ
Marcus Jones Pharmacy 1041400 London W37DA
Medicentre (Newcastle) Ltd 1037546 Newcastle Upon Tyne NE22SX
Medicines + Pharmacy 1093357 Lincoln LN50DZ
Medina Chemist Netherfield Ltd 1106123 Nottingham NG42NN
Minal Pharmacy 1035156 Twickenham TW27LA
Murrays Healthcare 1074813 Dudley DY11RN
My London Pharmacy 9011790 London W1T1QE
Nabbs Lane Pharmacy 1095582 Nottingham NG156NT
Newbridge Pharmacy 9011609 Wolverhampton WV60JZ
Newburn Pharmacy 1037570 Newcastle Upon Tyne NE158LX
Newport Pharmacy 1093367 Saffron Walden CB113QY
Nutan Pharmacy 1031339 Rochford SS43ET
Osbon Pharmacy 1040233 London E181AN
Osbon Pharmacy 1040297 London N12SN
Phillips Chemist 1035188 West Drayton UB77DS
Pickfords Pharmacy 1116066 Mexborough S649RB
Primed Pharmacy 1039469 Bradford BD134BL
Prince Pharmacy 1112006 London W22HX
Rana Dispensing Chemist 1097587 Birmingham B191HS
Shelf Pharmacy 1039541 Halifax HX37QY
Skye Pharmacy 1093157 Sheffield S25FY
Smart Pharm Ltd 9011292 London NW105PA
Superdrug Pharmacy 1030494 Bournemouth BH14AN
Tesco Instore Pharmacy 1108486 Leigh WN74PG
Tesco Instore Pharmacy 1029261 St Neots PE192SA
Tesco Instore Pharmacy 1029209 Cambridge CB246AY
Tesco Instore Pharmacy 1029071 Aylesbury HP199AG
Tesco Instore Pharmacy 1093395 Ryde PO331QS
The Chief Cornerstone 1034910 Greenford UB69RA
The John Preddy Co. Ltd. 1028560 Bath BA23PN
The Pharmacy 1108932 Billingham TS232DG
The Private Pharmacy 9010737 London E174QH
The Reading Pharmacy 1029006 Reading RG61LN
Ticehurst Pharmacy 1036282 Wadhurst TN57AA
Tilehurst Pharmacy 1028995 Reading RG315AR
Treated Pharmacy 9010946 Bolton BL22HH
Trustmed Pharmacy 1088231 Leicester LE15WW
Well 1090810 Preston PR41RY
West View Pharmacy 1091585 Hartlepool TS249LA
Whitefield Pharmacy 9010332 Bury M458NE
Whites Pharmacy 1030717 Exmouth EX81HA
Willington Pharmacy 1119949 Derby DE656QT
Winton Pharmacy 1030529 Bournemouth BH92AB
  • The article has been amended to clarify that the list of pharmacies include those who have had a ‘not all standards met’ inspection outcome within the last 12 months, and that this may not have been their most recent inspection from the General Pharmaceutical Council. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *