The Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand said the state of pharmacies in New Zealand posed a significant threat to the entire health system Photo: 123RF
- Pharmacists say there is unsustainable pressure on the sector and patients are suffering as a result
- The Pharmaceutical Society has put out an urgent call for more funding and professional support
- A survey found over the past year 90% of hospital and community pharmacies experienced staff shortages
Pharmacists say the stress on the country's health system is placing unsustainable pressure on the pharmacy sector and patients are suffering as a result.
The Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) has put out an urgent call for more funding and professional support for the sector, on the back of its latest workforce survey of 431 members.
Results showed that over the past 12 months, 94 percent of community pharmacies, 90 percent of hospital pharmacies, 74 percent of general practices and 82 percent of non-patient facing respondents have experienced staff shortages.
Other key findings were:
- 66 percent of community pharmacies, 55 percent of hospital pharmacies, 50 percent of non-patient facing and 36 percent of general practice respondents report their work has had a negative impact on their mental health and well-being
- there had been an 80 percent increase in requests from community pharmacy patients unable to access general practice
- there had been a 54 percent increase in requests for healthcare advice for minor conditions from community pharmacy patients, and a 43 percent increase in requests for healthcare advice for more serious conditions from community pharmacy patients
- there had been a 59 percent increase in delays in the prescriptions sent to community pharmacies
- almost 60 percent of imprest (stock) lists in hospitals have required amendment, with 65 percent of hospital pharmacy respondents saying patient health is being put at risk due to delays caused by medicine supply issues
PSNZ president Michael Hammond said the survey results highlighted how members were under sustained pressures across all settings.
"The pressures being felt throughout the health system are affecting patient care and creating enormous stress for New Zealand's pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy teams who are doing everything possible to care for patients in the face of unsustainable workloads, inadequate funding and supply chain shortages," he said.
"The herculean efforts pharmacists and pharmacy teams made during Covid and beyond are no longer sustainable without a significant increase in funding and resources.
"The deep well of goodwill which has seen our members putting the 'greater good' ahead of personal and team wellbeing for far too long has run dry."
Hammond said the state of pharmacies in New Zealand posed a significant threat to the entire health system because pharmacists and technicians were crucial to patient care in hospitals, community pharmacies, and across primary care settings.
Health NZ responds
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora living well director Martin Hefford said pharmacies were an essential part of the country's primary and community care system, and that Health NZ was grateful to the Pharmaceutical Society for their survey.
"We're really focused on how we can ensure a thriving community pharmacy sector and better manage some of the pressures highlighted by the survey," Hefford said.
"In particular, we need to work with the sector to tackle stresses on our pharmacy workforce, such as high early-career attrition and decreasing enrolments in some pharmacy programmes, and to address pressures on general practice so pharmacists aren't overloaded."
Health NZ had contracted with more than 1000 community pharmacies throughout New Zealand.
"It's positive to see pharmacies playing a greater role in extended pharmacist services," Hefford said.
"It's important that these services complement capacity in primary care to see people when they need it."