Agenda item

To receive a report regarding two pharmacy closures in Blyth and the reduction in opening hours of the 100 hour pharmacy in Blyth.  The Board is asked to consider if there are still sufficient pharmacies open in Blyth to meet the needs of the population for collection of prescriptions, advice from pharmacists and other services provided by community pharmacies.  The report will be presented by Pam Lee, Public Health Consultant, and Anne Everden, Pharmacy Consultant to Public Health.

Members received a report regarding two pharmacy closures in Blyth and the reduction in opening hours of the 100-hour pharmacy in Blyth.  The Board was asked to consider if there were still sufficient pharmacies open in Blyth to meet the needs of the population for collection of prescriptions, advice from pharmacists and other services provided by community pharmacies.  The report was presented by Anne Everden, Pharmacy Consultant to Public Health.

Members were informed that two pharmacies in Blyth had closed in the last three months and the 100-hour pharmacy had reduced its hours.  The two pharmacies were located in Newsham which had high levels of multiple deprivation, poor infrastructure, a large elderly population and some poor housing including for people new to the area.  Services and issues in the Blyth/Newsham area were outlined in detail in the report.  Two pharmacies had indicated that they could cope with more business, however, the closures displaced 20,000 prescriptions per month, and this was a lot to take up.  Many of the local population could not easily access pharmacies in the centre of Blyth.  There was also a significant loss of capacity to provide other services such as seasonal flu vaccinations, supervised opiate consumption and blood pressure monitoring.

It was recommended that a statement be issued to the effect that there was a gap in pharmacy services in Blyth.  A task and finish group had been set up by the Health & Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider the options for the provision of pharmacy services in the Newsham area.

It was noted that there would be work with the ICB to try and make it attractive to other potential providers.

The following comments were made:-

•       It was queried whether there was enough information available to make a decision, as there was no comparative data from other areas with similar issues such as an older population and deprivation.  It was explained that this information was available within the main Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and this was just a supplement to that document.

•       The ICB was working collaboratively with Northumberland County Council to take forward the findings and recommendations from the Board and PNA and how to work together to identify opportunities for service provision going forward.  There were multinational companies who were consolidating and supermarkets reducing hours, national contract changes etc. and all of these issues added up. 

•       It was an opportunity to understand at a local level what to do for patients, such as those with end-of-life care needs where services had been lost, and mental health care patients etc.   There would be an impact on these patients’ care and needs.  There was an opportunity for more discussion about impact of the pharmacy closures.

•       The figures presented showed that there was enough work for another pharmacy but the demographic of Newsham did not need another pharmacy in Blyth town centre.  It would be more useful to be located within an area of multiple deprivation.  If the area for the pharmacy was not specified, then the ICB would be more or less duty bound to accept any application within the town centre.

•       It was in everyone’s interests to have access to health facilities as close to home as possible.  People were being encouraged to go to pharmacies before accessing primary care or emergency departments.  The Northumbria Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust would be willing to offer help, if required.

•       How would the impact of the loss of services other than for prescriptions be measured?

•       Prior to the Task & Finish Group there needed to be scoping work done to identify the community voice and vulnerable people.  This was important alongside the professional opinion.

•       Work was currently being undertaken by the Northumberland Recovery Partnership to hear the voice of the OST users who were having to go to alternative pharmacies.  It was not always as simple as just getting to an alternative pharmacy and could result in patients being unable to be compliant with their prescriptions.

•       There was also a potential effect on carers who may have to travel further to collect prescriptions.

RESOLVED

(1)    To agree to an update to the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment completed in October 2022, by means of a supplementary statement declaring that there is a gap in essential services, new medicines service, clinical pharmacy consultation service and opiate supervision services, in the Newsham area of Blyth, between Monday and Saturday.

(2)    To ask that the Task and Finish group set up by the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee look into pharmacy provision and consider options for provision of pharmacy services to the Newsham community, and report back to the March meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board.