Local alignment with National Pharmacy Action Plan

7 June 2016

Local alignment with National Pharmacy Action Plan

Pharmacy and general practice teams have come together to discuss how they can continue to work together better in line with the release of the National Pharmacy Action Plan.

Joined by consumers and health system leaders, the workshop at the Design Lab recently aimed to explore the next steps for encouraging integrated ways of working that best meet the needs of Cantabrians.

Canterbury Clinical Network Pharmacy Service Level Alliance Facilitator, Koral Fitzgerald said it was the opportunity to build on the progress already made and begin the conversations that will enable local alignment with the National Pharmacy Action Plan.

“In Canterbury we’re continuing to work towards increasingly integrating pharmacy into the healthcare team. Pharmacy is an important component of people’s healthcare team and in we are already demonstrating how pharmacists can contribute to keeping people healthy in their own homes and out of hospital.”

“The recently released National Pharmacy Action Plan maps out how pharmacy can extend their current services to meet patient-centred health literacy needs and care of minor ailments through to functioning as a member of the multidisciplinary primary care team to plan care for patients who are vulnerable or have complex care needs.”

“The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to explore ways pharmacy can extend the services they provide by being ‘patient-centred’ and collaborating with the primary healthcare team.”

Participants heard from Canterbury District Health Board General Manager of Planning and Funding, Carolyn Gullery about the national context and the opportunities it presents.

Pharmacy consumers then sat down for an “On the Couch” chat, where they gave participants some insight into what they expect from their pharmacy, how they feel pharmacy can assist them to stay well and how they feel their pharmacist can better work together with primary care.

The group then came together for an “Open Space” session where they discussed what they felt would enable better integration of pharmacy with other health services in order to support Canterbury’s vulnerable populations.

“It was great to be able to bring together so many people and hear their thoughts and ideas,” Koral said. “These are the people leading, working in or impacted by pharmacy services in Canterbury, so we’re looking forward to utilising their ideas as we go into the next stage.”

The findings from this workshop will inform the next stage design process, which includes the formation of four design groups. Each design group will work over a 2-3 month period on how the National Pharmacy Action Plan can be ‘bought to life’ in Canterbury for four specific groupings: mental health; vulnerable children; those with chronic conditions and the frail elderly.

ENDS

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