Health and wellbeing boards could face a legal challenge if they deliver a poor pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA), Pharmacy Voice has warned.

Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott said it was important that local authorities understood the difference between a good and a bad PNA as they began to draw up the assessments after taking over the task from PCTs as part of the NHS reforms.

"While good PNAs can help to align pharmaceutical services with other local provisions across health and social care, and maximise benefits from pharmacy services, a poor PNA risks legal challenge and represents a considerable opportunity loss," he said last week (May 6).

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	Mr Darracott's comments came as the government issued guidance for health and wellbeing boards last week to help them develop their first PNAs. The boards will subsequently have to produce a PNA at least every three years.

When developing a PNA, health and wellbeing boards will need to identify gaps in the provision of pharmacy services, including whether a pharmacy needs to provide a minimum of essential services in a deprived area or ensure specific services are available at certain times of the day or week.

The inadequate provision of services could lead to patients attending a GP-led health centre and being unable to have their prescription dispensed, the guidance warned.  

Health and wellbeing boards would also need to take account of future needs, such as new housing estates or out-of-town shopping developments, to help plan services and consider services such as smoking-cessation clinics at health centres, which would affect the need for pharmacy to offer the same service.

The PNA must also consider joint strategic needs assessments drawn up by local authorities, which are designed to improve health outcomes and address health inequalities, according to the guidance.

The NPA said this week that pharmacists should mine their local authority's data for demographic information so they could tailor their services to the needs of the community.