Camden residents are well-served by the borough's pharmacies, with no service gaps identified, according to a new report reviewed by the Camden Health and Wellbeing Board. The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) for 2025-28, presented at the board's July meeting, found that Camden has a higher number of pharmacies relative to its population size compared to London and England averages. The report concluded that there were no current or future gaps identified in the provision of necessary services during normal working hours and outside normal working hours, and no gaps have been identified in the provision of advanced or enhanced services.
The PNA also indicated that this lack of identified service gaps could have implications for future funding and resource allocation for pharmacies in Camden.
The report, which is out for consultation until 15 August 2025, also highlighted that 100% of the population can reach their nearest pharmacy within a 9-minute walk, 10 minutes by public transport, or 5 minutes by car. The PNA specifies that 100% of the population are able to get to their nearest pharmacy within a 9-minute walk, or within 10 minutes using public transport, or 5 minutes by car
. For those needing prescriptions on Sundays, all residents across Camden are within a 10-minute car journey or 15-minute public transport journey to their nearest pharmacy.
The PNA also incorporated feedback from a public questionnaire, with 65% of respondents saying their community pharmacy met their needs extremely well or very well
.
The Health and Wellbeing Board delegated authority to Kirsten Watters, Director of Public Health, to approve the final report after the consultation, ensuring publication by 1 October 2025. The agenda and reports pack for the meeting are available online.
