Pharmacy group
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F.a. Ost Limited holds a single NHS pharmacy contract. Dispensed 96k NHS items in the last 12 months, broadly flat year-on-year. Estimated annual NHS income from dispensing and advanced services is around £306k. Deeply engaged with advanced services — nearly every branch is active, averaging 6.0 of 6 service lines.
A step-change usually marks an acquisition; a steady slope is organic trade. The Pharmacy First launch in January 2024 shows up across most groups.
100-hour contracts carry higher opening-hour commitments for a higher core NHS fee. Distance-selling pharmacies fulfil prescriptions by post only — no walk-in customers.
Each sparkline shows one branch's 12-month items trend. The percentage is the six-month change (last six vs prior six months); it's coloured green when the branch is growing by 3%+, red when declining by 3%+, neutral otherwise. Shapes that cluster tightly suggest a homogeneous chain; wide variation points to an acquired portfolio of independents. Click any card for its profile.
Half of F.a. Ost Limited’s 1 reporting branches sit above the 47th national percentile for combined service engagement (NMS, Pharmacy First, BP, DMS, contraception, flu per 1,000 items). 0 branches beat the national median; 1 sit below.
| # | Location | ICB | 12-month trend | Items (12m) | 6-mo Δ | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hertfordshire · WD7 9LP | Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB (C 02-Apr-26) | 95.6k | +8% | 6 / 6 |
Group identity reconciled from NHSBSA Contractor Details using legal-entity name, enriched with Companies House registry data for the top 100 corporate groups. Dispensing aggregated across every branch currently owned by the group. Officer tenure and SIC codes sourced live from Companies House under Crown Copyright.
Estimate derived from published NHS fee rates: £2.85/item (SAF + professional fee), £28/NMS, £35/DMS, £17/Pharmacy First, £15/BP check, £18/contraception consultation; flu uses actual £ fees published per dose. Category M reimbursement, establishment payment, transitional payment, PQS banding and the £1,000 Pharmacy First monthly fixed fee are all excluded. Private and locally-commissioned income is not included.
Each cell is one month. Darker cells mean more branches joined the network that month. Evenly-spaced light cells suggest organic growth or absorption by transfer; concentrated hot cells mark discrete acquisitions.
Not yet matched to a Companies House record. Most major chains are enriched; smaller or recently renamed operators may not be linked.
Emerald shading is national pharmacy density; amber outlines flag hexes containing a F.a. Ost Limited branch. Lets you read regional strategy at a glance — clustered around a few cities, broadly distributed, or concentrated in one corner of the country.