Pharmacy profession supports new agreement

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (the Guild) is delighted that all community pharmacies, including their members, have signed the new Pharmacy Services Agreement (PSA). Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals and the new Agreement allows them to work at the top of their scope of practice.

The PSA is the agreement between pharmacy owners and their local District Health Board (DHB). It has been consulted on with the DHBs and sector agents, including the Guild, over the last 18 months and holds the biggest change in services and funding the profession has had in over 50 years.

"As a membership organisation representing community pharmacy owners, we are very pleased that all of our 675 members have signed the PSA," says the Guild's Executive Chair, Karen Crisp. "Pharmacists currently provide many services for their patients that will be better recognised under the new Agreement."

On 1 July 2012, community pharmacy began the three year transitional PSA which enables pharmacy to make better use of their clinical skills and expertise within the primary health care team. The PSA intends to move pharmacy from being paid solely by a medicine dispensing fee, to a patient-focused payment model.

The new Agreement rewards pharmacists for providing support and advice so patients can better manage their medicines and medical conditions. This will benefit patients, especially those approximately 200,000 New Zealanders with long term conditions.

The Guild and the DHBs are developing patient and sector information to be distributed throughout the country. The Guild will also be developing member-only tools to ensure its members are supported throughout this change and are equipped to provide quality health care to their communities.

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Pharmacy profession supports new agreement