Pharmacy Workforce Data
Webpage last updated: 14/04/2025
Workforce data sources
The three main sources of data that can be used to monitor trends and aid workforce planning within pharmacy are:
ESR for secondary care including mental health trusts, community health services, ambulance services and ICBs.
National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) for GP practices and Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey (CPWS).
Dashboards displaying these data sources can be accessed through the NHS England WT&E Workforce Intelligence Portal.
Workforce Data Limitations
Workforce datasets have various limitations. Users should refer to the individual data set and webpages for limitations of information.
Workforce Intelligence Portal (WIP)
The Workforce Intelligence Portal (WIP, formerly known as eproduct) is a workforce data platform provided by NHS England Workforce, Training & Education (WT&E) Data & Analytics Team. It pulls data from the workforce data sources listed above and displays them in dashboards to enable workforce reports, analytics and modelling which can be viewed at national, ICS and organisation level. Data available relates to:
Secondary Care (ESR Workforce)
Primary Care (GP practice and PCN data are in separate dashboards)
Turnover/ Retention
Workforce Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
Supply
Note that vacancy data is not currently available through the Workforce Intelligence Portal.
Access to the Workforce Intelligence Portal
To request access to the portal, complete the WIP access request form available on FutureNHS.
Workforce Data Training
Training on use of the portal as well as wider workforce training courses and resources is available through the London Workforce Planning & Transformation Resource Hub on FutureNHS.
Pharmacy Workforce Dashboard
The Pharmacy Workforce dashboard aims to provide ICS, sector, region, and national level workforce profiling for colleagues and stakeholders. The dashboard brings together pharmacy workforce data available in different dashboards in the Workforce Intelligence Portal into one dashboard grouped into three main themes: education, training, and workforce. The Pharmacy Workforce dashboard content is updated annually.
Additional workforce data platforms
The workforce dashboards offer alternative routes to access the same pharmacy workforce data available in the Workforce Intelligence Portal (ESR, PWR, NWRS, and CPWS).
Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey (CPWS)
The Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey Aggregated Dataset represents a quantitative overview of the entire community pharmacy workforce at a set point in time, collated via an annual survey. This data can be accessed directly via the Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey and is included in the Pharmacy Workforce Dashboard in the Workforce Intelligence Portal.
General Practice Workforce Interactive Dashboard
The dashboard includes a variety of interactive charts displaying demographics of staff providing services in General Practice in England. Alongside workforce data this includes information on the practices and their patients. The data is provided by each practice via the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) reporting tool and is reported monthly.
These statistics present a snapshot of the general practice workforce on the last calendar day of each month. It provides workforce data for pharmacy technicians and pharmacists employed directly by GP practices. It does not include pharmacy staff employed in ARRS funded roles or those employed by other organisations (e.g. community health trusts). This dashboard and associated spreadsheets with statistics for the relevant month can be accessed by following this link:
Tableau Analytics
NHS England workforce data and the Workforce Intelligence Portal dashboards can also be accessed through the Tableau Analytics platform. It contains the same workforce data as the portal.
Primary Care Network (PCN) Workforce Interactive Dashboard
This dashboard presents interactive charts with data relating to staff providing services in individual Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in England, by their job role and staff group. The data is provided by each PCN via the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) and reported monthly. It provides workforce data for pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in ARRS funded roles only. This dashboard and associated spreadsheets with statistics for the relevant month can be accessed by following this link:
SHAPE Atlas
SHAPE Atlas is an online, interactive, data mapping, analysis, and insight tool. It helps organisations assess the optimum location for services and the impact of service reconfigurations on populations. The application is free to use for the public sector, delivered under a license agreement for the Department of Health and Social Care. SHAPE Place is preloaded with over 100 national data sets and overlays public health information, demographics, and their make-up, with information on estate, location and performance. The published data is updated either monthly or quarterly depending on the data source.