Source: Radio New Zealand
A law change passed this week means that pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year. 123RF
The chair of the Independent Pharmacy Group says it is unlikely pharmacists will be ready to start prescribing medicines from the moment a new law comes into effect.
Around 100 pharmacist prescribers currently work in GP clinics, hospices, and hospitals.
Under a law change passed this week pharmacists who own or invest in a pharmacy will be able to become prescribers from February next year.
But Clive Cannons, who also owns Clive’s Chemist in Wainuiomata, told Morning Report it was unlikely to be in place on 1 February.
“There will be extra training, there’ll be extra competencies to take on board, so there is going to be a little bit of a lag time,” he said.
Cannons said the law change was a good opportunity for the profession and would free up GPs’ time for more complex cases.
“There are a lot of conditions that can be treated safely in pharmacies, such as strep throat, skin infections, ear infections, things like that that don’t need oversight as much, and then we can refer to GPs when it is beyond our scope,” he said.
GP unsure about 12 month prescriptions
From 1 February New Zealanders would also be able to receive 12-month prescriptions for their medicines, which the government estimated could save patients up to $105 per year in reduced GP fees, although patients will still have to pay the $5 prescription charge every three months.
Christchurch GP and chair of the General Practice Owners Association Dr Angus Chambers said there was a lot more to safe prescribing than people realized, and it wouldn’t always be possible to prescribe 12 months.
“Some [prescriptions] require routine monitoring,” he told Afternoons.
“We’ve got a system where sometimes the patient needs to be reviewed six monthly, yearly, or sometimes even two yearly. But every time you do that prescription, every three months, you’re checking the file,” he said.
Chambers said that could entail checking relevant blood tests had been taken, recall systems and letters that had come in from other sources.
“There’s a lot of housekeeping that gets done each time.”
Chambers was concerned expectations had been built high for the 12 month prescriptions, and that doctors and reception staff would get grief from patients if a 12 month prescription was declined.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
