West Sussex County Council is inviting residents to comment on its draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA).
In February of this year the county council carried out a public survey asking people in West Sussex for their views on pharmacy services to help understand how residents and communities use them. Thousands of residents fed back during the initial survey, which has helped to inform a draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.
A public consultation is now open, and residents can view and comment on the draft assessment until Monday 28 July at westsussex.gov/pharmacy
A Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment is a statement of needs for pharmaceutical provision within a local area and takes place every three years. The West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board is required to undertake and produce the report, which is used by NHS England, local authorities, and local NHS systems, to plan and deliver pharmaceutical services across the county. The Health and Wellbeing Board brings together representatives from the county council, the NHS, district and borough councils, and the voluntary and community sector, who work in partnership to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population and reduce inequalities.
West Sussex has 142 community pharmacies, 12 dispensing GPs, five dispensing appliance contractors, and two distance-selling (internet or mail order) pharmacies.
Councillor Bob Lanzer, West Sussex County Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing said: “We would like to thank all those who took part in the public survey earlier this year for telling us about their experience of using pharmacy services in the county – the comments and feedback we have received have been so valuable in helping us to put together the draft PNA. We encourage everyone, especially those who took part in the initial survey, to now review and share their thoughts on our draft needs assessment.”
For anyone who doesn’t have internet access, the draft PNA can be viewed online for free at any West Sussex library
The final PNA will be published on the West Sussex County Council website by Wednesday 1 October 2025.
