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.

© Scoop Media