Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

Southampton Health and Wellbeing Board is under a statutory obligation to draft, consult upon and publish a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) in accordance with the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013. The National Health Service Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2014 have been published to amend these regulations following a report published by the Joint Committee on statutory instruments. More recently, The NHS Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services (Amendment) Regulations 2016 were published.

The PNA is designed to assess the current provision of pharmaceutical services, have regard to any specified future circumstance where the current position may materially change and identify any current and future gaps in pharmaceutical services. The PNA assists NHS England in determining market entry applications by pharmacists for new, additional or relocated premises, hours or pharmaceutical services. The PNA is a tool for commissioners, providers and users of pharmaceutical services and will be updated at least every three years.

Consultation on a Draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (2022)

Since April 2013, every Health and Wellbeing Board in England has a legal responsibility to publish and keep up to date a statement of the needs for pharmaceutical services for the population in its area, referred to as a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA).

A PNA is a statement of current pharmaceutical services provided to the local area. It is used to assess whether the pharmaceutical services provision is satisfactory for the local population, and to identify any gaps in the provision. A PNA is used by NHS England in responding to applications for opening of additional pharmacies, relocation of premises, and amendments to opening hours for pharmaceutical services. A PNA is not, therefore, a typical health assessment.

Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to consult a specified range of organisations on a draft of their PNA, in order to inform its further development before publication in October 2022. The Southampton Health and Wellbeing Board is also keen to hear the views of members of the public on its Draft PNA.

To share your views please complete the consultation available on the Southampton City Council website. The consultation closes 31 May 2022.

Southampton PNA 2018

The regulations state that each Health and Wellbeing Board must publish a revised statement within three years of its previous publications and therefore a 2018 PNA has been produced to satisfy this requirement. A full 60 day statutory consultation was conducted late 2017, largely ratifying the conclusions from the draft PNA. The final report has now been approved by the Southampton Health & Wellbeing Board and was published on 1 April 2018.