Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Public Health seeking approval of the procedure for responding to Pharmacy Consolidation Applications, attached.

The Board considered the report of the Director of Public Health regarding a proposed procedure for responses to pharmacy consolidation applications.  The Board had a statutory duty to make representation within 45 days to NHS England on consolidation applications of community pharmacies in its area.  The proposed procedure would formulate a process for responding to a consolidation application of community pharmacies that fell outside of the scheduled meetings of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Board expressed concern as to the representative of the Clinical Commissioning Group not being specified and recommended that it should be the Primary Care Team and also to the lack of criteria around “potentially/more contentious applications.

In light of the concerns expressed above the Board proposed revised recommendations as follows:-

RESOLVED:

(i)  That the Director of Public Health electronically circulate all applications for consolidation to the following stakeholders within 14 calendar days of receipt:-

Ø  Cabinet Member for Health and Sustainable Living

Ø  Relevant Ward Members

Ø  Primary Care Team, Clinical Commissioning Group

Ø  Public Health Team, SCC

Ø  Planning Policy Team, SCC

Ø  Chair of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel, SCC

Ø  Healthwatch Southampton

(ii)  That stakeholders feedback any concerns relating to “contentious” applications within 14 calendar days of the information being circulated;

(iii)  That authority be delegated to the Director of Public Health following consultation with the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board to determine all applications for pharmacy consolidation taking account of any feedback relating to “contentious” applications and make representation to NHS England accordingly.