Latest News Consultation starts on Proposed Pharmacy Model
22 September 2009
A review of how community pharmacy services are funded and delivered has just begun as Taranaki DHB moves to ensure the best and most efficient service is being delivered to the community.
Fourteen of the country’s 21 DHBs commissioned a working group involving the Pharmacy Guild, Pharmaceutical Society and DHB representatives to come up with alternative approaches to funding and contracting options of community pharmacy services.
Taranaki DHB has joined with Lakes and Tairawhiti DHBs to jointly consult on a proposed new model that not only aims to recognise pharmacists’ expertise and their role in primary health care but also ensures the sustainability of pharmacist services.
Taranaki DHB Planning and Funding GM Sandra Boardman said the primary focus was on a framework to enable full realisation of the contribution pharmacist services can make to the health and wellbeing of patients and the community as a whole.
“There can be better integration of pharmacist services with primary care, and the proposed model offers improved solutions for ensuring primary care and pharmacists work more collaboratively, for even better patient care,” Mrs Boardman said.
“Furthermore, over recent years the increased cost of funding pharmacist services has been significant, and Taranaki DHB is unable to continue that growth in the restrained fiscal environment we are in.”
The approach being proposed was based around funding services differently for various groups and their needs.
These included people with short term urgent medication needs, those with long term health conditions, specific population groups such as people living in residential care, targeted population health initiatives and people with minor ailments who could receive a direct response from a pharmacist.
Mrs Boardman said the proposals involved significant change and the DHBs were embarking on a comprehensive consultation process in an effort to get feedback from as many people with an interest as possible. “We will be consulting with a wide range of stakeholders in an effort to get their views on the proposed model and we encourage them to have their say,” she said.
The first round of consultation ends on 30 October 2009.
The three DHBs will work collaboratively to analyse submissions and develop recommendations and the process going forward. It is hoped recommendations will be presented to the Board by the end of the year. A copy of the consultation documents are available on www.tdhb.org.nz
Click here to view the Discussion and Consultation papers. Scroll down to 'Funding Model...'
For more information please call
Sue Carrington
Taranaki DHB Media Advisor