Around 1 in 6 pharmacies inspected in the past year are failing to meet standards

Around 1 in 6 pharmacies in Great Britain are failing to meet standards, according to a new analysis by Patient Claim Line.

Pharmacy claims specialists, Patient Claim Line, analysed inspections carried out by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in the past year, which covers pharmacies across England, Wales and Scotland.

The study analysed pharmacies where the inspections’ published reports were released between the 12th November 2024 and 12th November 2025.

Due to the length of time it can take between inspections and the publication of the report, some of the inspections will have occurred as early as April 2024.

The data shows that out of 1,857 pharmacy inspections, 295 were found to not be meeting standards (16%).

The GPhC inspects pharmacies to ensure that they meet standards and provide good and safe care to patients and the public.

The standards for registered pharmacies are set out under five principles, which are:

The pharmacy must be managed safely and effectively
The staff working in the pharmacy must be competent and empowered to do their roles
The pharmacy premises must be appropriate to provide pharmacy services
The pharmacy must supply medicines and provide other services safely and effectively
The pharmacy’s equipment and facilities must be safe and effective
They are then rated as either ‘Standards Met’ or ‘Standards Not All Met’, with all five categories needed to be met to receive an overall rating of ‘Standards Met’.

Where a pharmacy does not meet all the standards, it will usually have to complete an improvement action plan, which is followed by a re-inspection.

Patient Claim Line’s analysis includes pharmacies which were re-inspected within this timeframe, with both inspection ratings included in the results, to reflect any changes.

In cases where the necessary changes are not made, or in situations where there is a serious risk to patient safety, the GPhC can use its other statutory enforcement powers which include:

Conditions on registration
Improvement notices
The disqualification of pharmacy owners for failing to meet standards and removal of all premises entries from the register
The suspension of one or more premises entries from the register[1]
Reasons why some pharmacies were not meeting standards in key cities

Manchester

In Manchester, Peel Green Pharmacy was found to ‘not consistently keep appropriate records for some of its controlled drugs’, in its most recent inspection, carried out in February 2025.[2]

Leeds

Elsewhere in Leeds, Armley Moor pharmacy was found not to routinely identify and clearly mark medicines that have an altered shelf life once opened, to ensure that the medicine remains safe to use. The GPhC recorded, from their August 2025 inspection, that ‘this could increase the risk of people receiving medicines which aren’t fit for purpose’.[3]

London

At Lyngold Ltd, located in London, its September 2025 inspection showed that the pharmacy does not enrol ‘team members on the appropriate qualification training for their role in a timely way’ meaning they ‘may not have the knowledge and skills they need to do their tasks safely’.[4]

Glasgow

In its most recent inspection, in May 2025, Mosspark pharmacy, in Glasgow, was found to ‘dispense medicines against prescriptions without patient-specific directions, such as ‘Use as directed by the prescriber’, so ‘people may not be aware how to use their medicines appropriately’.[5]

Cardiff

At St Mellons Pharmacy, in Cardiff, pharmacy team members had ‘not read the most recent versions of standard operating procedures’, meaning ‘there is a risk that they may not be able to provide pharmacy services safely and effectively’.[6]

Pharmacies that are failing to meet standards according to GPhC inspection reports from the past year: (Flourish Table)

Out of the 295 pharmacies that were found to not meet standards, 265 were located in England (90%), 21 were located in Scotland (7%), and 9 were located in Wales (3%).

Among all the pharmacy inspections in the past year, England was found to have the highest proportion of pharmacies not meeting standards, standing at 16%.

The analysis revealed a marginal difference between the proportion of pharmacies failing to meet standards in England and Wales, with a higher proportion of Scotland’s pharmacies reported to meet standards in the past year.

In England, 265 out of 1,643 inspected pharmacies did not meet standards (16%)
In Wales, 9 out of 56 inspected pharmacies did not meet standards (16%)
In Scotland, 21 out of 158 inspected pharmacies did not meet standards (13%)
Commenting on the findings, Nermeen Salahuddin, Solicitor at Patient Claim Line said:

“If you have experienced a pharmacy error, which has caused adverse consequences, such as pain or the worsening of your condition, you could be entitled to make a compensation claim.

These types of claims can include:

Being dispensed the wrong medication
Receiving the incorrect dosage of medication
Having prescription medication incorrectly mixed
Receiving a prescription with incorrect labelling
Being given incorrect instructions on the use of prescription medication
Seeing damaged ingredients within your prescription
Having a vaccination administered on the incorrect site of the arm
You have three years to make a claim for compensation, following knowledge of the pharmacy error. Evidence which can be useful in making a claim includes medical records, documenting the medical condition and prescribed treatment, pharmacy receipts, witness testimonies, and evidence of the negative effects experienced due to the error, in the form of photos or diagnosis of a new medical condition.”