Report to: East Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board
Date of meeting: 7 March 2023
By: Director of Public Health
Title: Pharmacy provision in East Sussex
Purposes: To inform the Health and Wellbeing Board of the implications to pharmacy provision in East Sussex in respect of Lloyds Pharmacy’s decision to close its outlets in Sainsburys Stores.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Health and Wellbeing Board is recommended to:
1. Note the impact on pharmaceutical provision in East Sussex of the Lloyds Pharmacy decision to close its outlets in Sainsburys stores; and
1. Background
1.1 Lloyds Pharmacy have announced that it is to close all pharmacies that are situated in branches of Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Some have been earmarked for closure within weeks of the announcement. In East Sussex there are three branches that will close, all of which provide pharmaceutical services for 100 hours per week. These are detailed in the table below.
|
Lloyds Branch in Sainsburys |
Address |
Closure at end of trading day |
|
Lloyds St Leonard’s |
John Macadam Way, St Leonard’s on Sea, TN37 7SQ |
06/03/23 |
|
Lloyds Newhaven |
Newhaven Harbour, The Drove, Newhaven, BN9 0AG |
23/07/23 |
|
Lloyds Eastbourne |
Broadwater Way, Hampden Park, Eastbourne, BN22 9PW |
23/07/23 |
1.2 Although the Director of Public Health has delegated authority to oversee these changes in provision, the scale, pace and potential impact of these changes should be brought to the attention of the Board.
1.3 As from 1 April 2013 every Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) in England has a statutory responsibility to publish and keep up to date a statement of the need for pharmaceutical services in its area, otherwise referred to as a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). HWBs had to publish their first PNA by April 1st 2015.
2. What is the impact of the risk?
2.1 These pharmacies provide a very small proportion of the activity within each of the lower-tier local authority areas. As recorded in the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) in 2021/22 this was: 2% in Hastings Borough, 2% in Lewes District, and 3% in Eastbourne Borough. [Source NHS].
2.2 The proportion of total activity provided by these pharmacies in each of these local authorities has declined over the past three financial years. We do not have data on how much of the dispensing activity was carried out after 6 pm.
2.3 In terms of the provision of consultation and advanced services, there was no activity in the St. Leonard’s branch, a notable amount of consultation service activity in the Newhaven branch, and less activity in the Eastbourne branch,
2.4 Emergency Hormonal Contraception services are not provided at the St Leonard’s branch, whilst the Newhaven branch provided some activity, and although signed-up, the Eastbourne branch recorded no activity.
3.1 In Hastings and St. Leonard’s, there are two pharmacies open within one mile. The next closest 100-hour pharmacy at Tesco’s Supermarket is open until 20:00 and until 16:00 Sundays. The Asda 100-hour pharmacy is open until 22:00 most days.
3.2 In Lewes District, there is no other 100-hour pharmacy in the district. Other than Lloyds there is no other pharmacy open after 18:30 on weekday evenings, and there is one other pharmacy open on a Saturday afternoon. No other pharmacies are open apart from Lloyds on Sundays.
3.3 In Eastbourne Borough, there is a Tesco, 100-hour pharmacy open nearby. Boots is open until midnight; and Asda is open until 20:00.
Option 1. Do nothing.
4.1 This is seen as unacceptable in view of the magnitude of changes across the county. The urgent out-of-hours care service will provide immediately necessary treatment. These medicines can be dispensed from the out-of-hours service formulary. There is a danger of over-burdening this service if alternative provision is not established.
Option 2. Issue a Supplementary Statement of the PNA.
4.2 According to NHS England guidance, these closures by implication create a gap in provision. The gaps in essential and advanced services may or may not be filled by other providers. A supplementary statement would allow needs to be clearly defined so that commissioners can plan for appropriate provision and a permanent solution.
Option 3. Implement a rota system out-of-hours.
4.3 The East Sussex Residents’ survey in 2022 highlighted poor access to dispensing in evenings and weekends. A rota system is liable to cause confusion and is not seen as a permanent solution to the loss of these outlets. Any rota approach is likely to require agreement with neighbouring HWBs in Sussex, as rotas may refer residents to pharmacies in neighbouring areas.
Option 4. Declare a gap.
4.4 There will be a gap evident in service provision in Newhaven from the end of July 2023. This option would only deal with the Newhaven issues and risks are also evident in Hastings and Eastbourne.
5. Conclusion and Reason for Recommendation
5.1 The Health and Wellbeing Board is required by the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Pharmaceutical Services) 2013 Regulations to publish and keep up to date a statement of the need for pharmaceutical services in its area.
5.2 Although the HWB has only recently (in September 2022) approved and published the 2022 East Sussex Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, the closure of three 100-hour pharmacies, at short notice, represents a significant change in provision of services, and that this justifies the production of and issuing of a supplementary statement of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment in order to provide clarity and inform future commissioning requirements.
DARRELL GALE
Director of Public Health
Contact officer: Nick Kendall
Email: nick.kendall@eastsussex.gov.uk
Tel: 07523 930873