Agenda item - Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report 2022

Report of the Director of Public Health (copy attached).

RESOLVED – That the Board gives its formal approval to the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment report 2022 and to the recommendations contained within it.

16.1    The Board considered a report of the Brighton and Hove Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Steering Group presenting the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Report 2022.

16.2    It was noted that The Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) had 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 mapped current pharmaceutical services, identifying gaps and exploring possible future needs. It was used by NHS England and Sussex Integrated Care Board to decide upon applications to open new pharmacies and informed the commissioning of pharmaceutical services. The draft PNA report had been discussed at the Brighton & Hove Health & Wellbeing Board meeting in July 2022 and feedback from those discussions had also informed amendments to the final report.

16.3    Councillor Appich enquired regarding measures to be put into place to publicise opening hours of pharmacies across the city. It appeared that in some areas of the city pharmacies were under used. Councillor Appich went on to ask what arrangements were being put into place by exploring with NHS colleagues how this work could be carried forward, commending the report as a comprehensive document.

16.4    Councillor Robins referred to the late-night contraception service, currently available until 8.00pm, stating that he considered that it would be helpful if this facility could be made available until a later hour.

16.5    Councillor Brown referred to the poor response rate to the consultation also to the lack of evening provision across the city. It appeared that there was a need for a greater degree of communication between pharmacists and GP’s in order to publicise the services available.

16.6    The Director of Public Health thanked Board Members for their contributions which had been picked up in the recommendations. Work would be carried forward through work with NHS Sussex where the key issues which had been highlighted would be picked up.

16.7    The Chair, Councillor Shanks was pleased to note that issues raised would be carried forward with NHS colleagues via NHS Sussex. The Chief Executive of Brighton Healthwatch, David Liley, explained that Healthwatch had statutory responsibility for overseeing this. He explained that discussions were taking place to ensure that targeted use of the media took place through use of social media to ensure that information got to where it needed to be, for example in relation to contraception services.

16.8    The Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care, explained that in the longer term the issues highlighted would be taken up in the appropriate action plans to ensure that that they were reflected in those too.

16.9    RESOLVED – That the Health and Wellbeing Board gives its formal approval to the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment report 2022 and to the recommendations contained within it.