Public Health Liverpool

Pharmacy Needs Assessment

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is a statutory document that assesses the pharmacy needs of the local population. This includes dispensing services as well as public health and other services that pharmacies may provide.

The document is used as the framework for commissioning pharmacy services in a defined area.

The NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013, effective from 1 April 2013, require each HWB to:

  • Publish a PNA every three years.
  • Make a revised assessment as soon as is reasonably practicable after identifying changes to the need for pharmaceutical services which are of a significant extent.

NHS England teams are mandated under the same regulations to use the PNA when making decisions on applications to open new pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractor premises.

Public health teams and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will also use the PNA to inform their commissioning decisions, when commissioning local services from community pharmacies.

Robust, up-to-date evidence is important to ensure that community pharmacy services are provided in the right place and meet the needs of the communities they serve.

A new PNA has been produced on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing Board, and covers the period 2018-2021.

Supplementary Statements

A Supplementary Statement records changes to the provision of pharmacy services since the publication of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.

Supplementary Statements are issued for opening or closure of pharmacies or when there are pharmaceutical needs assessment changes that are minor and would be relevant for granting of applications. Once issued, a supplementary statement becomes part of the PNA and is published here.