The online pharmacy Pharmacy2U has acquired one of the UK’s largest care home pharmacy providers, Care Quality Pharmacy (CQP).
CQP provides prescriptions and NHS services to a range of independent and national care home groups, extra care services, and domiciliary care agencies.
Operating across England, Scotland and Wales, it aims to help care homes ‘manage competing priorities and deliver the highest quality of care to residents while maintaining regulatory compliance’.
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CEO of Pharmacy2U, Kevin Heath, said: ‘Care homes are responsible for an important portion of all prescription medications dispensed in the UK predicated on service quality and reliability, making the market a natural extension for Pharmacy2U.
‘We’ve been very impressed by the team at CQP, and I’m delighted to be welcoming them into the group. I look forward to supporting the team as they continue to deliver excellent care and service to their customers and patients.’
The number of care home patients aged 65 and over in England receiving NHS prescriptions increased from 323,000 to 331,000 last year, according to 2024/25 estimates by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
These patients received an estimated 42 million prescription items at a drug cost of £410 million in 2024/25, compared to 40 million items costing £396 million the previous year.
Managing director of CQP, Usman Tahir, said he was ‘delighted’ to be partnering with Pharmacy2U.
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He said: ‘For over a decade, CQP has given care homes and other care providers a trusted partner to manage pharmacy prescriptions and services. With such a broad range of needs, it’s critical that care providers are fully serving the medical needs of their residents.
‘This marks an important milestone for our business, and I look forward to accelerating our growth even further this year.’
This announcement follows several other recent acquisitions for Pharmacy2U, including Lloyds Direct, Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor, The PharmPet Co, and Medicines Management Solutions.
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And in October 2025 The Pharmacist spoke to Age UK chief executive, Paul Farmer, about the important role pharmacists have in caring for older people.
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