Community Pharmacy Leaders Forum confirms strategic priorities

The Community Pharmacy Leaders Forum (CPLF) meeting in June reflected on key sector developments, including COVID-19 response learnings, and confirmed its strategic priorities.

CPLF chair and Pharmacy Guild President Cameron Monteith says members discussed community pharmacies’ exemplary efforts during the Covid-19 lockdown, as well as the welcomed release of the Health and Disability System Review (HDSR) final report.

“HDSR’s call for enhanced Tier 1 service integration, community pharmacy services expansion and better service commissioning and contracting oversight should boost equity of health and wellbeing outcomes, and CPLF is keen to actively partner in implementation.”

CPLF confirmed its immediate strategic priorities as: ongoing advocacy to seek removal of co-payment charges, improving new e-prescribing practices, and expanding pharmacy’s role with vaccinations.

This is on top of CPLF’s ongoing commitment to delivering community pharmacy sustainability, seeking pay parity for our profession, and addressing service access inequities for vulnerable populations.

“Co-payment removal will help address service access and population inequities, while also reducing pressures on hospitals and GPs and supporting sector sustainability; all factors which are vitally important in effectively responding to COVID-19,” Cameron Monteith says.

“E-prescribing and new workflows introduced under COVID-19 are good, but improved education and change management support is needed that works better for patients, prescribers, and pharmacies. Work is now underway to do this.

“We also believe there is scope to improve and expand our role with vaccinations, with a focus on vulnerable populations. We look forward to pharmacies being further supported to deliver MMR and potentially a COVID-19 vaccine in future,” Cameron Monteith says.

CPLF also is clear in its desire for an empowered and well-resourced DHB Pharmacy Services Expert Advisory Group (EAG), as EAG is vital for professional service model expansion.

“Ultimately, discussions were productive, and in our November meeting we will further consider our response to the incoming government and next steps regarding HDSR,” Cameron Monteith says.