Minutes:
Mindful of recent developments involving pharmacies (closure of one within Stockton-on-Tees earlier in 2024; the push for the public to go to pharmacies instead of GPs for certain issues / treatments) and the anticipated publication of an updated Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) in October 2025, the Committee had requested further details on the existing situation regarding pharmacy provision across the Borough, whether this was deemed sufficient, and what was being identified as part of the consultation phase of the latest PNA review.
Introduced by the SBC Director of Public Health and supported by the SBC Pharmaceutical Adviser, a report (supplemented by some tabled slides reflecting its content) was presented to the Committee which highlighted the following:
· Summary: The Stockton-on-Tees Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) published its first PNA on 25 March 2015 (in accordance with the statutory duty to do so), with subsequent updates published in 2018 and 2022. The next PNA was due to be published by 1 October 2025 (it was noted that the PNA was not a patient- / public-facing document).
· Detail: Legislation (NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 (as amended)) required the HWB to divide its area up into localities – this was open to local determination, but it was suggested that existing boundaries (e.g. wards) were used when defining these.
Since the last PNA, there had been a boundary review (23 ward boundaries changed and an additional ward created), therefore there was a need to review the Borough’s localities. The Stockton-on-Tees PNA Review Steering Group (comprising a Public Health Intelligence Specialist, Public Health Pharmaceutical Adviser, SBC Communications / Marketing, SBC Planning Team, and Healthwatch) had considered several options and agreed to use four localities for the PNA 2025 – Stockton-on-Tees North, Stockton-on-Tees South, Billingham, and Thornaby. Factors influencing this included that two localities used in 2022 may mask variation of pharmaceutical needs in some parts of Stockton-on-Tees (particularly Thornaby and Billingham), three pharmacy closures had occurred since the PNA 2022, the variation in deprivation, local knowledge of the steering group, and to avoid the document being too complex and lengthy.
On 25 May 2023, regulatory changes were made to allow existing 100-hour pharmacies to apply to reduce their hours to a minimum of 72 hours per-week (subject to certain restrictions), though any existing core opening hours (Monday to Saturday between 5.00pm and 9.00pm, Sunday between 11.00m and 4.00pm, and Sunday's total opening hours) must remain. There were eight 100-hour pharmacies in Stockton-on-Tees, but since the change in regulations, all eight had reduced their hours to between 72-90 hours per-week. The decrease in hours from the previous 100-hour arrangements equated to the loss of three standard 40-hour pharmacies (something which also impacted upon Urgent Treatment Centres who were reliant on pharmacy access) – this would be relayed to NHS England and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB).
Since the PNA 2022, further national advanced services had been added to what pharmacies could offer (pharmacies may choose whether to provide these services or not). If they chose to provide one or more of the advanced services, they must meet certain requirements and must be fully compliant with the essential services, clinical governance and promotion of healthy living requirements – this all represents additional workload being undertaken across pharmacies. Additional services introduced since the last PNA included:
o Pharmacy First (all contractors in Stockton-on-Tees were providing this)
o Pharmacy Contraception Service (approximately half of contractors in Stockton-on-Tees were providing this)
o Community Pharmacy Hypertension Case-Finding Service (the majority of contractors in Stockton-on-Tees were providing this)
From 1 April 2025, any pharmacy delivering the Pharmacy First service must also deliver the Pharmacy Contraception Service and the Hypertension Case-Finding Service. Flu vaccination was another advanced service provided by all pharmacies except one across the Borough, with COVID vaccination also provided by 13 pharmacies across Stockton-on-Tees (the latter continued to be delivered by specifically contracted pharmacies). All these factors needed to be considered prior to the submission of the PNA 2025 ‘statement of need’ for local pharmaceutical services.
A resident survey and pharmacy contractor survey had been undertaken to inform the PNA 2025. 105 responses had been received in relation to the former (only six responses were received for the contractor survey), with key findings being:
o 71% of respondents reported using the same pharmacy.
o 53% of respondents either drove or were driven to visit a pharmacy; 38% of respondents walked to their pharmacy.
o 62% of respondents stated that it takes less than 10 minutes to reach their pharmacy using their usual mode of transport; 31% accessed their pharmacy within 10-20 minutes (this reflected the Borough’s dense population and smaller Local Authority footprint compared to other areas).
o 84% described their usual pharmacy as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
o 69% of respondents were happy with the current opening times of their usual pharmacy.
Feedback highlighted within the Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees, ‘Views & Experiences of People Accessing Pharmacy Services’ report (published in April 2024) also showed how much local people valued their pharmacy.
· Consultation and Engagement: Briefings had been given to the SBC Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the SBC Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture. An update was provided at the January 2025 meeting of the HWB, and a residents’ consultation had been undertaken.
· Next Steps: A draft of the PNA 2025 would be taken to the HWB in March 2025 for approval ahead of a formal 60-day statutory consultation with required entities. Feedback would then be reviewed ahead of a final draft PNA being prepared for approval by the HWB (with a publication date of 1 October 2025).
Thanking the SBC officers for their report, the Committee asked how the resident survey was promoted and whether a paper-copy was made available for those who could not, or preferred not to, complete this digitally. Members heard that the survey was accessible via the SBC consultation page and was mainly pushed through the Council’s website (efforts had been made to promote this within pharmacies themselves, though pharmacy staff were often busy with customers) – other non-electronic methods for completion were available. Residents were not a statutory consultee, but it was felt appropriate to give the public an opportunity to comment. No alarm bells had been raised regarding existing provision, and an overriding theme appeared to be that people were prepared to travel to access services.
The Committee noted that the resident survey had been undertaken prior to recent Council announcements on the introduction of parking charges to specific parts of the Borough, developments which may adversely impact on pharmacy use – it was therefore pleasing to learn that the public would have a further opportunity to comment on future proposals for local pharmacy provision. SBC officers highlighted an app which could be used to order prescriptions, though acknowledged that some parts of the population were digitally limited. Members drew attention to the propensity for pharmacies to be based more in built-up areas, with people (or their carers / volunteers) needing to come into these locations to collect what they need – officers noted the offer of both free and charged delivery services from pharmacies, as well as some so-called internet pharmacies.
Focus turned to changes since the PNA 2022, with the Committee also notified of last week’s sudden closure of Preston Farm Pharmacy (announced after the publication of these meeting papers). The reference to an application for a new site in S1 Stockton-on-Tees North was in relation to a second pharmacy in the Wynyard area, however, that had been rejected by NHS England earlier this week (though could be appealed). Regarding the approved re-opening of the Elm Tree pharmacy (which needed to be enacted by 4 September 2025), Members highlighted the impact of the end of the school day within that vicinity, and the challenges this created for people needing to collect pharmacy provisions during these times.
SBC officers concluded this item by emphasising the national context involving increasing numbers of pharmacies closing, stating that there was no guarantee around the level of future applications to open new services (nor whether they would be approved even if submitted) to fill any identified gaps.
AGREED that:
1) the updates within the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025 report be noted.
2) the revised localities that will be used to develop the PNA 2025 be noted and approved.
3) the plan for a draft PNA 2025 to be considered by the Stockton-on-Tees Health and Wellbeing Board in March 2025 (for approval ahead of its statutory 60-day consultation with required stakeholders) be noted.
Supporting documents: