Community Pharmacy Services Agreement

The ACT Party’s election promise to return pseudoephedrine to pharmacy shelves is one step closer to fruition after the law change passed its first reading in Parliament on 20 February

The pharmacy sector may miss out on $8 million in backdated funding if the 138 pharmacy owners who have not yet signed the latest variation of the pharmacy services contract do not do so within five days

The newly formed Prescription Access Initiative group is calling on the Government to scrap the prescription copayment, saying evidence proves it fuels medication non-adherence and patient harm. Pharmacy Today senior journalist Paulette Crowley reports

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand is still processing Integrated Community Pharmacy Service Agreement variations, but to date 880 contract holders are recorded as accepting the offered variation

Some pharmacists say sector negotiators have settled for a bad deal in accepting a 3 per cent fee offer 

A DHB pharmacy leader is describing the introduction of the new pharmacy services contract today as a historic moment for the New Zealand pharmacy sector.

Community pharmacy is in the process of deciding whether to access a new services agreement on offer from DHBs. Pharmacy sector commentator Anna Mickell argues the new agreement does not go far enough to relieve pharmacy’s reliance on non-pharmacy products and services to stay viable

New chairs for Auckland’s three DHBs, Pharmacy services contract draws a crowd, Lauren McGifford re-elected to college board

Pharmacists have expressed resounding dissatisfaction over the proposed new community pharmacy contract, sector agents say

A letter obtained by Pharmacy Today reveals DHBs are bypassing the Community Pharmacy Services Agreement contract group and going directly to the sector for feedback on the agreement.