Although a formal committee of Brighton & Hove City Council, the Health & Wellbeing Board has a remit which includes matters relating to the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the Local Safeguarding Board for Children and Adults and Healthwatch.
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Title:
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Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report 2022 |
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Date of Meeting:
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13 September 2022 |
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Report of:
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Brighton and Hove Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Steering Group
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Contact:
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Nicola Rosenberg |
Tel: 01273 296558 |
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Email:
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Nicola.rosenberg@brighton-hove.gov.uk |
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Wards Affected:
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All |
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FOR GENERAL RELEASE
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Executive Summary The Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) has a statutory responsibility to publish a revised Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) every three years. However, as a result of Covid19 the regulations were amended to allow for the PNA to be published within four years, by October 2022. The PNA maps current pharmaceutical services, identifying gaps and exploring possible future needs. It’s used by NHS England and Sussex Integrated Care Board to decide upon applications to open new pharmacies and informs the commissioning of pharmaceutical services.
The draft PNA report was discussed at the Brighton & Hove Health & Wellbeing Board meeting in July 2022 and feedback from those discussions has also informed amendments to the final report. This paper presents the final version of the PNA report to the Health and Wellbeing Board. The report describes the changes that have taken place in the provision of pharmaceutical services to the city since the last report was published in 2018 and any subsequent supplementary statements that update on the numbers and opening hours of pharmacies (the last Supplementary Statement was published in 2020). As part of the process, the PNA Steering Group carried out: a telephone community survey of a sample of 1,000 residents which was representative of the population and two surveys with pharmacies and GPs in Brighton and Hove on the provision of local pharmacy services.
The 2013 Regulations require the following organisations to be consulted on the PNA report. These include: · The Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) · The Local Medical Committee (LMC) · Pharmacy and dispensing appliance contractors · Dispensing doctors (if any)[1] · Healthwatch, patient, consumer or community groups · NHS Trusts or NHS Foundation Trusts · NHSE · Neighbouring Health & Wellbeing Boards The draft PNA was opened to online public consultation between 8th June and 7th August 2022, slightly longer than the minimum period of 60 days required in the regulations. Publicity was supported by the council’s press office which reached local media. Additionally the organisations above were separately and directly invited to input.
Analysis of the responses was carried out and discussed with the PNA steering group and the report was amended in response to the consultation feedback. A summary of the consultation feedback is detailed from page 84 onwards in the report.
The final report includes recommendations derived from findings and consultation feedback for: NHS Sussex / Sussex Integrated Care Board, NHS England, Brighton & Hove City Council and East and West Sussex County Councils and community pharmacies themselves.
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1. Decisions, recommendations and any options
1.1 That the Board approve Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment report 2022.
2. Relevant information
2.1 There are 53 community pharmacies in Brighton & Hove including 1 distance selling pharmacy. There has been a decrease in the number of community pharmacies since the last PNA in 2018, when there were 56. This translates to 17.8 pharmacies per 100,000 residents. This is similar to that in West Sussex (18) and East Sussex (17.6). There is no national guidance on how many pharmacies should be provided per resident population. Community pharmacies are reasonably well spread across the city, with more present in more densely populated areas. However, not all services are available in all pharmacies. Nationally and locally pharmacy numbers have seen a net decrease over the last couple of years. The assessment from the PNA Steering Group is that there is no gap in community pharmacy provision that results in the need for additional pharmacies. However, there are recommendations for developing, and in some cases extending, provision of services in current pharmacies.
2.2 Nearly all city residential areas are within a 20 minute walk of a community pharmacy and all city areas, except for Stanmer Village are within 20 minutes of a pharmacy by public transport. All residential areas are within a 10 minute drive of a pharmacy. There are fewer pharmacies open later in the evenings in the city, compared to the 2018 PNA. No pharmacies open later than 8pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and no pharmacies open later than 9.00pm on Thursday and Friday. None open after 6.00pm on Sundays. However a pharmacy located in the Holmbush Shopping Centre (BN43 6TJ) 1.5 miles to the west of the city’s boundary is open 8am to 8pm on Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on a Sunday. Eighty four percent of community survey respondents strongly agreed (29%) or agreed (55%) that they can find, and use, an open pharmacy in Brighton & Hove when they need one.
2.3 Public satisfaction with pharmacies remains high with 92% survey respondents reporting they are very or fairly satisfied with pharmacy services. This is an increase in satisfaction since the 2018 PNA, despite a reduction in the number of pharmacies in the city over this period.
2.4 Although there has been an increase in the number of prescriptions, there are reported to be enough pharmacies to fulfil the flow of prescriptions. Nearly three quarters of pharmacies responding to the survey (73%; 16/22 respondents) said they would have sufficient capacity within their existing premises and staffing levels to manage an increase in demand in their area. 18% (4/22 respondents) said they would need to make adjustments to manage an increase in demand, while 9% (2/22 respondents) said they would have difficulty doing so.
2.5 Changes made to the PNA report as a result of consultation feedback
The PNA Steering Group discussed the responses and findings from the consultation and the following changes to the PNA report were made.
2.5.1 Introduction and methodology sections were added to the Executive Summary. Among other things, this aimed to draw attention to the public, GP and community pharmacy surveys carried out prior to the consultation on the draft.
2.5.2 Matters of accessibility were explained in more detail, for example, access for those with limited mobility and limited use of the internet. Reference to the interpreter/translation service has been made. Issues of equality of access were given a higher profile in the Executive Summary and expanded in other parts of the document.
2.5.3 The requirement for community pharmacies to comply with equalities legislation set out in the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Standards for Pharmacy Professionals and Pharmacies was added, and also reference made to requirements of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and the Equalities Act 2010.
2.5.4 The subject of pharmacy opening hours was covered in greater detail, especially in the Executive Summary.
2.5.5 There has been more emphasis and detail given around how community pharmacies can potentially take an increased role in the provision of primary care clinical services to relieve pressure from other parts of the health service.
2.5.6 There are additional recommendations about improving access and to for updates to be made regarding online information, including expanding the list of services and access facilities provided.
2.6 The recommendations in the PNA report cover the following topic areas: vaccination, evening pharmacy provision, community pharmacy capacity to meet city needs, improving health and wellbeing, equality of access to community pharmacy services, awareness and knowledge of services and facilities available in community pharmacies, cross system working and becoming carbon neutral. For some of the recommendations work is already underway to address these, this includes the establishment of a working group to review evening provision of community pharmacy services.
2.7 In conclusion, although nationally and locally pharmacy numbers have seen a net decrease over the last couple of years, the assessment from the PNA Steering Group is that there is no gap in community pharmacy provision that results in the need for additional pharmacies. However, there are recommendations for developing, and in some cases extending, provision of services in current pharmacies.
3. Important considerations and implications
Legal:
3.1 The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 (“the Regulations”) set out the legislative basis and requirements of the Health and Wellbeing Board for developing and updating the PNA. The proposals set out in this paper are consistent with ensuring that the HWB is in a position to discharge its duties.
Lawyer consulted: Sandra O’Brien Date: 16th August 2022
Finance:
3.2 There are no financial implications as a direct result of the recommendations of this report.
Finance Officer consulted: Sophie Warburton Date: 25th August 2022
Equalities:
3.2 We have incorporated Equality Act 2010 requirements throughout the PNA document. During the PNA process we have taken into consideration protected characteristics and vulnerable groups at each stage of the process and details relating to how services affect different groups are detailed in the main report.
Supporting documents and information
Appendix1: Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report 2022