Agenda item

Mr Naveed Mohammed, the Council’s Head of Business Performance, noted that there was a statutory responsibility for Health and Wellbeing Boards to publish and maintain a statement of the need for pharmaceutical services for the population in their area, known as the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA).  The PNA helped in commissioning pharmaceutical services to meet local priorities and was used by NHS England when making decisions about applications to open new pharmacies.  The new PNA needed to have been signed off and published by 1 October 2022. 

Analysis of demographics and epidemiology had almost been completed.  A survey of pharmacy contractors had been undertaken but the response rate by the deadline (28 February 2022) had been 45% so was likely to be extended to enable 100% compliance.  A patient survey was also available on the Council website with approximately 50 responses received to date.  Social media would be used to promote this survey to try to increase the response rate to around 200.  Ms Kelly O’Neil, the Council’s Interim Director of Public Health, suggested that Mr Mohammed use the skills, knowledge and expertise of the Public Health Pharmacist Specialist that worked at the local authority. 

Mr Mohammed advised that the PNA process was prescribed.  Engagement would need to be undertaken with stakeholders and would include the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC).  Although this was a statutory process, Ms Patricia Wright, Chief Executive at The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (THH), noted that it seemed very outdated, and these needs assessments were not undertaken for opticians or dentists.  Ms O’Neil agreed that the process was outdated but noted that it had highlighted the digitisation of processes that had been successfully implemented.  As the processes could not be changed, it would be important to make them relevant to what was needed and to share the PNA at an early stage to coordinate how it was pulled together. 

Concern was expressed that dental services in the Borough needed some consideration.  Ms Caroline Morison, Co-Chairman and Managing Director of Hillingdon Health and Care Partners, advised that dental services featured in the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Given the timings of the Health and Wellbeing Board meetings and the need to sign off the consultation documents in June and consultation responses in September, it was agreed that these sign offs be delegated to the Interim Director of Public Health, the Head of Health and Strategic Partnerships and the Head of Business Performance in consultation with the Co-Chairmen.  A final draft version of the PNA would be brought back to the Board before being published on 1 October 2022.

RESOLVED:  That:

1.    the additional work completed on the PNA since the last update, which would ensure the 2022 PNA was completed and published by the 1 October 2022 deadline, be noted; and

2.    delegated authority be given to the Director of Public Health, Head of Health and Strategic Partnerships and Head of Business Performance to sign off consultation documents (June) and consultation responses (September) in consultation with the Co-Chairmen.