Support for the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment 2026

The Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 places a statutory duty on Health Boards in Wales to prepare and publish an assessment of pharmaceutical service needs. The NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Wales) Regulations 2020 specify the minimum content requirements for a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) and outline the process that must be followed during its development. To support implementation, the Welsh Government has issued non-statutory guidance for Health Boards (HBs). The primary aim of a PNA is to enhance the planning and delivery of pharmaceutical services by ensuring Health Boards thoroughly assess the needs of their populations and align services accordingly. PNAs help Health Boards identify: Where additional contractor premises may be needed Where more dispensing doctors are required Whether current providers are sufficiently meeting pharmaceutical needs Where existing contractors may need to offer additional services