The Board to sign off the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.

David Bearman, Devon Local Pharmaceutical Committee provided the Board with the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for sign off by this Board as one of its statutory duties.  The production of this document started some years ago to look at the pharmaceutical needs for this area.  This has been a collaborative paper working with Devon and Torbay and David extended thanks to Sarah Ogilvie who   led the Plymouth work brought together the other organisations.

This is not a static document and pharmacy undergoing a radical shift in the Plymouth area and working in collaboration with GP surgeries and mental health activity, see a rapidly changing environment for the community pharmacy in the way it operates and for the board to consider the changes to make sure they maximise the benefit of the city in a future Solution Workshop.

In response to questions raised it was reported that -

(a)           the shift from historic position of managing medicines to minimise cost has moved dramatically and the medicines optimisation opportunity is very significant in reducing hospital pressures, looking at poly pharmacy and how we can ensure medical regimes people are on are more effective and this is not always reflected in this type of report, there is a real opportunity to push for maximisation;

(b)          there was a chemist in north of the city that was open on a Sunday but closed to lack of usage and possibly need to speak the Area Team to look at this potential need whether this needs to addressed;

(c)           we are supporting the GPs work load issue, in Plymouth model more radical working with the Beacon Practice in the Plympton area to support the delivery of some of the practices to free GPs to look after more complex patients;

(d)          the document not structured to allow the forward view and the significant flux in primary care in the way we deliver in the community and suggest a solution workshop on how we deliver things in the community and how we ensure we meet the needs in the community to release pressures further up in the system.

Agreed that –

1.         The Health and Wellbeing Board approve the Plymouth Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.

2.         A solution workshop is set up to look at access to pharmaceutical provision in the North West of Plymouth and make contact with NHS England on the provision in the North West of the City.