Agenda item

To receive an overview of the background and purpose of the Lancashire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025 together with a series of options regarding the proposed methodology to be utilised in order to ensure that the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is as comprehensive as possible in meting the needs of the residents of Lancashire.

Aidan Kirkpatrick, Public Health, Lancashire County Council provided the Board with a report of an overview of the background and purposes of the Lancashire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025 together with a series of options regarding the proposed methodology to be utilised to ensure that the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is as comprehensive as possible in meeting the needs of the residents of Lancashire.

The Board noted that the production of the 2025 Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is a statutory function of all three Health and Wellbeing Boards across Lancashire, and the Board was assured that the  function will continue to be carried out to an elevated level of rigor, with an intended publication date of September/October 2025.

The Board were asked to discuss the intention to make one material change to the methodology that is used, which is to assess the concept of geographical access to the network of community pharmacies across Lancashire, which historically has been based on a 20 minute drive time across all in Lancashire communities, whilst being mindful that there is an association between levels of car ownership relative to both deprivation and income levels, both locally and nationally.  In order to mitigate this, it is incumbent upon the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) steering group that oversees the assessment, to propose a more nuanced and responsive approach, utilising driving, public transport and walking times. The Board noted that public transport arrangements can change over a three-year cycle and therefore the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) steering group that oversees the assessment will therefore need to assure itself that there is no deleterious change or impact on public transport times over that three-year period and if in discharging that function there is a deleterious impact the Health and Wellbeing Board will be informed.

Following the presentation, discussion ensued, and comments were provided as below:

·  The paper had been consulted with the Integrated Care Board commissioning colleagues and the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board was to conduct the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA)  every three years and in practical terms, it is used when pharmacies change their services, withdraw or consolidate and any discrepancies found, would be brought to the attention of the Board.

·  An assessment of the provision of pharmacies is carried out locally, as well as regionally and nationally.  When the assessment is carried out, there is some pragmatic balance between what that looks like at a Lancashire level, as well as a sub-Lancashire level to mitigate impact on uneven distribution of community pharmacy locations.

·  A methodology of a national tool called Shape helps to assess the travel time in terms of access to public transport annually, and that is the basis upon which the intention is to keep a more regular assessment of what that looks like.

·  In terms of provisional pharmaceutical services, it is not just access to medicines it is about broader services that pharmacies deliver and as a Board it is important to be advocates for them.

·  The proposal is a hybrid for urban areas of a 20 minute public transport and/or a 20 minute walk time.

·  In terms of the suitability of the sites, there are several different wider dimensions, for example, the percentage of sites that are readily accessible from the perspective of residents who might have a disability.  Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), recommend the importance of continuing to try and improve those wider dimensions around accessibility. The last assessment it was very explicit and focused in on what percentage of Community pharmacies have facilities that make them accessible for residents with disabilities.

Resolved:  That the Health and Wellbeing Board endorsed the proposed change in part of the methodology utilised in the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025.