Havering Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment Consultation 2025

During June, July and August 2025, we asked for your views on Havering’s Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025–2028.

PNAs play an important part in public health and healthcare planning. They are strategic documents used to inform the development of local healthcare planning and commissioning of services. PNAs assess the availability and accessibility of pharmaceutical services, taking into account the health needs of the local population, identifying where there may be a lack of pharmaceutical services or unmet needs.

To help produce this PNA, the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge jointly appointed North of England Commissioning Support (NECS), an independent organisation with specialist expertise in this area. The work was guided by a joint steering group made up of representatives from the three boroughs, NEL ICB, and the Healthwatch teams in Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge. Together, they worked to understand current pharmacy services, identify commissioning challenges, and set priorities for the future across the three boroughs.

We used a wide range of information to shape the draft PNA, including feedback from our recent Community Engagement Questionnaire – Using Your Pharmacy – Havering (May–June 2025). This means many residents have already had a say in developing the draft, and this consultation offered another important opportunity for you to influence the final PNA.

Overall, we received 46 responses to our consultation which included online responses and additional feedback from the London Pharmacy Commissioning Hub, on behalf of NEL ICB.

• 94% of the responses were from members of the public.
• 60% of respondents agreed that the PNA reflects the current provision of pharmaceutical services.
• 78% of respondents believed that there were no gaps in the provision of pharmaceutical services for Havering that were not identified in the PNA.
• 48% of respondents felt the PNA reflects the needs of the local population.
• 48% felt that the PNA provided enough information to inform future pharmaceutical provision and plans for pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractors.
• 56% of respondents fully agreed with the overall conclusions presented in the PNA, with 27% partially agreeing with the conclusions.

Your feedback indicates that Havering currently has no gaps in the provision of pharmaceutical services, either during normal working hours or outside normal hours.

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) 2025–2028 was formally approved by the Havering Health and Wellbeing Board, and the final report was published on 1 October 2025. You can access the full report here:  Havering PNA 2025-2028.