What is a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA)?

The PNA sets out local people's needs, how well they are being met, if there are any gaps and what the PCT is planning to do to fill these gaps. It helps to identify any areas which could be improved and if there are other services that could be delivered by community pharmacies (chemists).

The views of patients and local residents are very important and we have consulted local communities throughout the development of our PNA to make sure that it accurately reflects your views and needs.

What were the findings of the PNA?

Overall, the PNA shows that there are good pharmacy services in the Wakefield district. People can get to a pharmacy easily and the pharmacies provide a variety of good quality services.

The key findings were:

• On average, there is one pharmacy for every 4,694 people living in the district, which is above the national average of one per 5,000 patients.
• There are no areas of the district where provision is below acceptable levels.
• There are sufficient 100 hour pharmacies for the district with the exception of the Wakefield city centre which would support out-of-hours services and the GP-led Walk-in Centre.
• Patients are very satisfied with the pharmacy services provided.
• However, people do not always know about the different services they can get at their pharmacy or when local pharmacies are open, especially on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
• Patients want to have a pharmacy close to their GP practice.
• The most important things for patients are the waiting times to get their prescription dispensed, the availability of their medicine and the experience and helpfulness of staff.
• Pharmacists are keen to use the skills that they have to deliver more services to patients.