Agenda item - Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment: Final report and the process for future supplementary statements

Resolved:

1)    That the Board approves publication of the 2018 Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report.

2)    The HWB are asked to approve the process for supplementary statements delegating authority to the Director of Public Health working with the PNA Steering Group to identify and implement any future amendments to the PNA and to bring back a full revised PNA to the HWB in April 2021. Before this any pharmacy closures will be reported to the HWB.

62.1    The report was introduced by Ms N Rosenberg (Consultant Public Health) and Ms B Hardcastle (Public Health Specialist). The report presented the 2018 Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA).

62.2    The Chair thanked officers for the report. He was concerned that when the next review PNA were due, things may be more challenging with additional pressure on pharmacists to deliver more extended services.

62.3    Mr A Hill congratulated officers on the work undertaken, and which showed that action had been taken on the recommendations from the last report and that the Board were listening to suggestions made.

62.4    The Chief Executive Brighton & Hove City Council asked what the relationship was between opportunities which public service providers might want to put with pharmacists, and the financial viability of them undertaking those opportunities. Officers said that if a service were financially viable pharmacists would bid for it.

62.5    Dr D Supple noted that many privately run pharmacists had closed so there were now more chain store pharmacies. He said that the LPC were concerned about passing work to pharmacists which was not paid, such as advising the public on medical issues. Councillor Page asked if there had been an increase in the public visiting their pharmacist rather than their local doctor or A&E. Officers said that it was part of the national contract for pharmacists to give advice to the public. The number of consultations made was not recorded, but the LPC would say there was increasing pressure on pharmacists to deliver that service.

62.6    Resolved:

1)    That the Board approves publication of the 2018 Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report.

2)    The HWB are asked to approve the process for supplementary statements delegating authority to the Director of Public Health working with the PNA Steering Group to identify and implement any future amendments to the PNA and to bring back a full revised PNA to the HWB in April 2021. Before this any pharmacy closures will be reported to the HWB.