Julie Webster (Director for Health and Wellbeing) introduced her report and informed that Wirral’s Health & Wellbeing Board was undertaking a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), a legal, comprehensive, assessment of the current and future needs of local people for community pharmacy services.

In January 2017, the People Overview & Scrutiny Committee had considered the impacts to Community Pharmacies in the light of funding changes proposed by Government for community pharmacies in 2016/17. At that time members had been made aware of the impending statutory PNA review and the request for them to comment and submit views on the process for developing the PNA for 2018-21. As part of that process a public consultation was required to be held for a period of at least 60 days.  Members were informed that the consultation would close on Monday 5th February and members were asked to consider the draft PNA 2018-2021 and to submit any views as part of that statutory process.  Members were informed that the outcome would be published on the Council website by the end of March 2018.  Initial feedback indicated that the response was overwhelmingly positive, there were no significant service gaps and that Wirral compared favourably both nationally and with neighbours.  Julie Webster also indicated that there had been an increase in the number of pharmacies located with GP surgeries which was a positive step.  It was further reported that no specific gaps had been identified and the situation would be kept under review.  A member commented that it would be helpful if members could be kept informed of pharmacies that had been added to surgeries and asked if this could be circulated to members.  Any feedback of coverage of pharmacies over the Christmas and New Year period was also requested and Julie Webster indicated that this was commissioned by NHSE and she would feed this request to the appropriated commissioner.

Resolved – That;

1  the report be noted.

2  where appropriate members be encouraged to submit views within the statutory consultation period