First DDA Conference breakout session highlights changes to additional premises applications

New pharmaceutical services regulations, taking effect today (Oct 1) will speed up additional premises decisions, the DDA 2026 conference heard.

In the first in a new series of breakout sessions at the DDA 2026 Conference, delegates were told about the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026.

From 1 October 2026, in a tweak to the pharmaceutical services regulations, an ICB can now refuse applications to dispense from additional premises without having to first notify the usual interested parties.

According to the presentation by Charlotte Goodson, adviser to professional services provider PCC CIC, this should remove unnecessary bureaucracy from the additional premises decision-making process and speed up decisions.

Also in the new regulations, pharmacies will be able to close once a month for up to four hours for learning and development, subject to notifying local GPs. ICBs are able to object to closures. There is also clarification that it is a breach of pharmacy terms of service to change a patient's EPS nomination without their consent.

The presentation by Goodson also looked at mooted plans for local government reorganisation that could disrupt the publication of Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments (PNA), due to be published in England in October 2028.

Goodson told the conference that work on the next round of PNAs is currently due to start in a year’s time”, ahead of scheduled PNA publication by Friday 1 October 2028.

She advised delegates to "watch this space" on local government reorganisation and its potential impact on the network of Health and Wellbeing Boards. Where a new HWB is created by reorganisation, the HWB has 12 months to produce its first PNA, she said.

In Wales, the latest PNAs are due to be published today (October 1, 2026). Scotland does not publish PNAs.

Her presentation also contained an update on hub and spoke dispensing. In a straw poll held in the session closing the first day of the 2026 conference, no delegates had to date adopted hub and spoke dispensing. Attending the session, DDA Chairman Dr Richard West warned that, for most dispensing practices, removing acute prescribing from the hub and spoke business model would raise concerns about commercial viability.

Her presentation covered aspects such as: