Community Pharmacy Leaders Planning For The Future

The Community Pharmacy Leaders Forum (CPLF), which comprises key community pharmacy leaders, met on 6 September to discuss key developments across community pharmacy and ways to maximise opportunities for our sector to further improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of all New Zealanders.

CPLF see a range of opportunities for the expansion of community pharmacy services, while also acknowledging the pressing need to address critical workforce challenges.

“We had a productive meeting and are now looking ahead and planning for the future,” says CPLF Chair Des Bailey. “It’s important for community pharmacy to continue to expand the range of services provided and to evolve to best meet the health and wellbeing needs of our communities. Pharmacy has successfully done this during the pandemic with Covid-19 vaccinations, rapid antigen testing and the supply of oral therapeutics.”

The meeting heard about specific initiatives that were benefiting local communities and that could be implemented on a national level. These included collaborative service models for the treatment for childhood gastroenteritis, skin conditions and sore throats, as part of rheumatic fever prevention.

The government’s health system reforms and the opportunities it presents for an expanded range of services for community pharmacy are welcomed by CPLF. CPLF expect that this will include minor ailment services, medicine optimisation services, population health-based initiatives and pharmacist prescribing.

“We see community pharmacy has a vital role to perform in our health system, to help keep people healthy and well in their communities and to take pressure off general practices and our hospitals,” says Des.

To achieve this, CPLF is committed to leading a collaborative workforce planning process with all key sector stakeholders, to develop a comprehensive workforce plan that identifies key actions needed to address the sector’s pressing workforce challenges. These challenges include workforce shortages, ongoing recruitment and retention issues, and delivering pay parity with other health professionals.

“CPLF will continue to advance the case for community pharmacy and our profession to work at their full potential in the new health system,” says Des. “We need to ensure that we address immediate workforce pressures and ensure a resilient and sustainable workforce for the future.”

Notes: CPLF consists of the leaders from Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand, Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand, Green Cross Health Limited, Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group, MidCentral Community Pharmacy Group, Midlands Community Pharmacy Group and Bay of Plenty Community Pharmacy Group.

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