The requirement to publish renewed Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments (PNAs) has been suspended until October 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) has said in its latest update.
“The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 will be updated to reflect this change in due course,” the DH added.
The announcement followed requests by PSNC and various local authorities and is welcomed by PSNC.
“In the meantime, before a renewed PNA is published, in most cases Local Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) retain the ability to issue supplementary statements to respond to changes in the availability of pharmaceutical services, where those changes are relevant to the granting of applications,” the health regulator has noted.
DHSC has also announced that the updated guidance on PNAs will be published this summer, which should assist HWBs and LPCs with the process of renewing PNAs.
