3 New Standard Hours Pharmacy Approvals for Our Client Based in Newcastle
In a previous post we updated that we had so far secured 2 out of 3 application for our client based in Newcastle. We have now received confirmation that the 3rd application has been approved at appeal.
These cases were all hard fought, with 25 different applications being made by various different people across the 3 sites. The first 2 were decided by way of Oral Hearing at appeal, but the 3rd was different as it was a more technical / legal argument that related to what is known as an “indentified need” application. A total of 9 application were submitted for this site. 4 of the Applicants made the wrong type of application (and were refused) and some applied too late. At appeal, the solicitor for one of the parties that had applied using the wrong type of application argued that it was unlawful for the ICB to have approved our client’s application due to the way that the need had been identified within the PNA and that their client’s application should have been approved instead.
We believed (and still do believe) that this argument was not a valid appeal as it amounted to a challenge of the lawfulness of the PNA. Primary Care Appeals allowed the appeal to proceed but agreed with us that the need had been properly identified in the PNA, granted our client’s application and refused the other applications.
Our client has described these 3 approvals as “life changing” and it has been a pleasure to work on these cases.