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Vol 277 No 7412 p161-163
5 August 2006

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Original papers

Commissioning services and the new community pharmacy contract:
(1) Pharmaceutical needs assessments and uptake of new pharmacy contracts

By Rebecca Elvey, Fay Bradley, Darren Ashcroft and Peter Noyce

Commissioning services series

Fay Bradley, MA (Econ), and Rebecca Elvey, MA (Econ), are research associates, Darren Ashcroft, PhD, MRPharmS, is director of the Centre for Innovation in Practice and Peter Noyce, PhD, FRPharmS, is professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Manchester.

Correspondence to:
Rebecca Elvey, Centre for Innovation in Practice, The Workforce Academy, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL
e-mail rebecca.elvey@manchester.ac.uk

Abstract

Aim
To identify and describe (i) pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) activity and (ii) the awarding of new NHS community pharmacy contracts in primary care trusts in England.

Design
A self-completion questionnaire.

Subjects and setting
All PCTs in England.

Results
The response rate was 74%. 90% of PCTs had completed a PNA of which 85% had used one or more resources to assist with the process of undertaking a PNA. Local community pharmacists were engaged in the process in most (92%) PCTs. Other stakeholders can be grouped into those with high, moderate and low levels of engagement. 90% of PCTs had analysed the findings of their PNA, and those who had undertaken them earlier were significantly more likely to have used the results when commissioning services (P=0.026). 116 PCTs (54%) had approved a total of 194 new community pharmacy contracts since 1 April 2005, two thirds of which were exempt from control-of-entry regulations and were concentrated in a minority of PCTs.

Conclusions
PNAs have been undertaken by most PCTs, with high levels of activity in the months leading up to implementation of the new contract. Local PNAs are important to PCTs when planning and commissioning pharmaceutical services provision.

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