Have your say on the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for East Sussex

Take the opportunity to have a say about pharmacy services in East Sussex. Every three years the Health and Wellbeing Board is responsible for publishing a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) which sets out the pharmaceutical services needed in East Sussex.

Led by East Sussex PNA Steering Group, the new 2017 PNA is now available for consultation until 1 June 2017. You can read the draft PNA and Appendices at:

https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/public-health/pna17/

Key points from the PNA are:

• The numbers of older and younger people in East Sussex are set to increase over the next few years while the working age population will decrease.
• The increase in older people will mean more people living with long term conditions such as diabetes, respiratory illnesses, heart disease or dementia.
• Pharmacies are an under-used resource for health advice and could be more active in prevention and supporting management of long term conditions.
• Pharmacies are well placed in rural communities and areas of deprivation to provide centres for health advice.
• Pharmacies can help to reduce the pressure on GP services.
• Studies have shown that community pharmacies can have a significant impact on the health of local communities
• Where people have a car there is adequate access to pharmacy services.
• A third of pensioner households do not own a car and this can make access to pharmacy services difficult in rural areas which lack public transport.

Questions you might want to think about are:

• Does the PNA meet the needs of the local population?
• Does the PNA fully cover all of the important issues relating to pharmacy services?
• Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions and recommendations?
• Do you support the recommendations set out in the PNA?
• Are there any gaps in the PNA?

Once you have read the PNA you can share your feedback in several ways by:

• completing our online form via the weblink above
• emailing your comments to us using the subject heading ‘PNA consultation’ to health@eastsussex.gov.uk
• writing to us at: PNA consultation, East C, County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1UE