Agenda item

4.00pm

Report by David Munday. Deputy Director of Public Health, Oxfordshire County Council.

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) assesses the number of pharmacies and access for residents (measured by distance to travel).  It does not assess quality or convenience issues.  The criteria for general access used in the PNA is for all parts of the urban population to be within 20 minutes’ walk or 20 minutes’ public transport time of a pharmacy and all parts of the rural population to be within 20 minutes’ drive-time or a five mile radius of a pharmacy.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is RECOMMENDED to

a)    Note the intention of Lloyds Pharmacy Ltd to withdraw all 237 Lloyds pharmacies inside Sainsbury’s stores nationwide in 2023, affecting 6 pharmacies in Oxfordshire.

b)    Issue a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Heyford Hill, Littlemore, Oxford on 22 April 2023.

c)     Issue a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the consolidation of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Bure Place, Bicester, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Old Barn Coker Close, Bicester and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on 10^th June 2023.

d)    Issue a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the consolidation of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Witan Way Witney, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Windrush Health Centre, Welch Way, Witney and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on 13^th June 2023.

e)    Note that the further three closures of Lloyds Pharmacies in Sainsbury’s stores in Banbury, Kidlington and Didcot do not require a Supplementary Statement.

The report was presented by David Munday and he explained that there was a statutory requirement for the Board to publish a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) every three years.  The previous PNA had been published in March 2022.  The document mapped the number and location of pharmacy premises in Oxfordshire in relation to where the population are located. The criteria for general access used in the PNA was for all parts of the urban population to be within twenty minutes’ walk or public transport time of a pharmacy and all parts of the rural population to be within twenty minutes’ drive time or a five mile radius of a pharmacy.

Mr Munday referred to Lloyds Pharmacy Ltd withdrawing their services in Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the country, affecting six in Oxfordshire.  He stated that the PNA Steering Group considered that this would not lead to gaps in services which would result in travel times to pharmacies exceeding those set out for urban or rural residents.  It was proposed to issue three supplementary statements to the PNA.  Two of these recorded the consolidation of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Bure Place, Bicester, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Old Barn Coker Close, Bicester and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on 10th June 2023 and also in Sainsbury’s store, Witan Way Witney, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Windrush Health Centre, Welch Way, Witney and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s. 

The third recorded the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Heyford Hill, Littlemore, Oxford.  The reason for the supplementary statement was that Littlemore was one of the ten wards that experienced the greatest health inequality in the county and whilst there was access to pharmacy provision within the twenty minute rule, some of the public transport access for the community was not ideal and car ownership was lower than average.  It was considered to be an area which could potentially benefit from additional provision in the future should the market apply to NHS England to open new pharmacy premises.

There were three closures of Lloyds Pharmacies in Sainsbury’s stores where a Supplementary Statement was not deemed to be required.  In Banbury, Kidlington and Didcot, the closure was considered to leave good or satisfactory pharmacy cover in the local area.

It was clarified in response to questions from the Board that a consultation process would take place prior to the next PNA document being published in 2025 and was not required as a result of the proposed amendments.  It was noted that proposed closures to Boots premises nationally had been announced recently and an assessment would be made as to whether any Supplementary Statements were required in the event Boots provided information of specific pharmacy closures in the county.

RESOLVED: that the Board:

(a)        Noted the intention of Lloyds Pharmacy Ltd to withdraw all 237 Lloyds pharmacies inside Sainsbury’s stores nationwide in 2023, affecting 6 pharmacies in Oxfordshire;

(b)        Issued a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Heyford Hill, Littlemore, Oxford on 22 April 2023,

(c)        Issued a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the consolidation of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Bure Place, Bicester, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Old Barn Coker Close, Bicester and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on 10th June 2023;

(d)        Issued a Supplementary Statement, further to the Oxfordshire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2022, that records the consolidation of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s store, Witan Way Witney, with Lloyds Pharmacy, Windrush Health Centre, Welch Way, Witney and the closure of the Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury’s on 13 th June 2023; and,

(e)        Noted that the further three closures of Lloyds Pharmacies in Sainsbury’s stores in Banbury, Kidlington and Didcot do not require a Supplementary Statement.