Workforce survey seeks views of clinical pharmacists in general practice

The survey wants to know all about what they’re currently doing, and what they’d like to be doing”

Clinical pharmacists in general practice do much more than medicines reconciliations – and organisers of a new workforce survey want to hear about it.

Collaborative Aotearoa has had 65 respondents complete its “Workforce survey for clinical pharmacists in general practice” so far, and is keen for more to participate, chief executive officer Jess Morgan-French says.

“We know clinical pharmacists are doing a whole array of things in general practice. The survey wants to know all about what they’re currently doing, and what they’d like to be doing.”

From that information, the organisation is developing additional resources and tool kits that aim to support general practice in effectively integrating a range of extended-care team roles into primary care.

“It’s for both those practices looking to employ clinical pharmacists into their workplaces; and those practices that already have a clinical pharmacist and trying to get them to extend the scope of their clinical pharmacy.”

This work is similar to another project carried out by Collaborative Aotearoa for paramedics in the workplace, in creating a tool kit for general practice, Ms Morgan-French says.

Like everyone else involved, Collaborative Aotearoa is grieving the loss of the Comprehensive Primary Care Teams (CPCT) programme, which received no new funding in last month’s Budget 2025, Ms Morgan-French says.

“It’s been really, really gutting…I think most of us are still quietly hoping something falls through the sky...”

The CPCT Budget cut provides another motivation to document why practices should be getting clinical pharmacists involved, then provide some financial modelling to show how a clinical pharmacist adds value and pays their wages, Ms Morgan French says.

“While we don’t have the modelling finalised yet, we’d want to build a case from a business-owner perspective, because GPs need to know the real-world implications of a change process and be able to work through that in a risk-managed way.”

Potentially co-payment is “not the only way”, she says.

“We talk about co-pay, and we talk about funding, but we’ve never really talked about how the practice might increase enrolment and therefore have capitation associated to the revenue-generating activity.”

Ultimately, the vision is to get the survey results “out into general practices, and to extend that workforce”, Ms Morgan-French says.

Clinical pharmacists are asked to complete the survey before Friday 13 June.