Leaders working together for community pharmacy

MEDIA RELEASE                

28 August 2009

Industry leaders working together for the good of community pharmacy

The Community Pharmacy Leaders Forum (CPLF) met yesterday to ensure unity on the broad range of issues facing the sector. The role of the Forum is to find the common ground among its members.

The agenda included an assortment of recent reports, including the “ Horne Report” which is the Ministerial review of the legislative framework for Health and Disability Services (link) and the “ CHFA report” which is the Crown Health Financing Agency report on DHB Sector financial sustainability, as well as the recent Actioning Medicines New Zealand Workshop organised by Hon Peter Dunne, Associate Minister of Health. 

The Forum members believe that the establishment of the CPLF has significantly improved management of serious issues facing community pharmacy. “Collaboration and unity is the key,” said Pharmacybrands CEO, Alan Wham. “The Forum members are on the same page on the major issues. We are a unified group”.  In that spirit, the Forum has invited Carolyn Oakley-Brown (Chair of the Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group) to join the Forum.

Forum members agree that community pharmacy needs to be on the front foot during these fast moving times when there is a lot going on in the health sector.  With this in mind, individual representatives have committed resources from their organisations to ensure that the interests of new or proposed initiatives are better understood.

The Forum welcomed Minister Dunne’s initiative to bring leaders from pharmacy, nursing and general medical practice together at the Actioning Medicines New Zealand Workshop.

Pharmacy can contribute significantly more to primary care and it is important both the incentives and relationship with primary care colleagues are aligned to achieve this.  DHB Policies on co-payments and CPI type increases are inconsistent across primary care, which are pushing pharmacy to cut cost and focus on dispensing. This is limiting pharmacies contribution to primary care.

The role of the Forum is to ensure the sector finds common ground to present a consistent sector view.

Ends

© Scoop Media