The Northumberland County Council Health and Well-being Board met to discuss and approve the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025-28, which maps pharmaceutical services against local health needs. The board approved publication of the assessment and delegated authority for PNA-related actions to the Executive Director of Public Health, Stronger Communities and Inequalities, in consultation with the Chair of the Health and Well-being Board. The board also reviewed its forward plan for the 2025/26 council year.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2025-28

The Health and Well-being Board approved the publication of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025-28 and delegated authority to the Executive Director of Public Health, Stronger Communities and Inequalities, in consultation with the Chair of the Health and Well-being Board, to approve PNA related responses requested by the Integrated Care Board¹, and the issuing of PNA Supplementary Statements².

The PNA is required to be produced every three years and this version had been subject to a 60-day consultation period. It provides a framework to support the local care system by:

• Gaining a clear picture of pharmaceutical services currently provided
• Informing decisions on applications for NHS contracts
• Commissioning appropriate and accessible services from community pharmacies
• Targeting services to reduce health inequalities

The PNA found that there were adequate numbers of pharmacies for the provision of essential NHS pharmaceutical services across Northumberland apart from Newsham, where there is a current need for essential pharmaceutical services.

The PNA also stated that:

The Health and Wellbeing Board considers that the current network of extended hour pharmacies is essential to meet patients' needs by widening access to pharmaceutical services outside core hours when other pharmacies are closed.

The PNA noted that it was written in early 2025 and does not include reference to the ambitions for pharmacy included in the NHS 10 Year Plan published in July 2025.

Health and Well-being Board Forward Plan

The Committee reviewed its forward plan for the 2025/26 council year. Councillor Paul Devadoss Ezhilchelvan, Chair of the Health and Well-being Board, highlighted that at the next meeting on 11 September 2025 consideration would be given to the final report on Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment which would then be followed by a closed session.