A new era in pharmacy staffing and everyone’s a winner

New Zealand pharmacy is facing the most radical shake-up in staffing that the industry

has ever seen – and it couldn’t come at a better time. Pharmacists will soon be working at the top of their scope, with responsibility for delivering income from clinical services, as day-to-day control of the dispensary is handed over to our hardworking PACTs and Technicians.

A return to patient-centric care

The new Common Ailments Scheme is the springboard that is set to change everything.

For the first time, it acknowledges the medical knowledge pharmacists have and their ability

to diagnose and treat patients with basic common ailments, something pharmacists have

been doing freely for years.

Using a ‘community pharmacy first model’ of care it will actively divert demand for minor ailments and vaccinations away from GP practices towards community pharmacies which will now be paid by the government for these services. This will boost funding for dispensaries, which will be able to support additional staff training and business diversification.

What’s more, if the proposed Therapeutics Bill is also adopted here it could significantly expand the list of clinical services pharmacists can offer to assist with patients' overall health and wellbeing.

Being a Pharmacist is going to feel great again

Most pharmacists trained in the profession so they could help people with health issues. In recent years, with New Zealand’s rapid population growth and pharmacist shortage, this hasn’t always been possible. Many pharmacists have been frustratingly stuck behind the bench, with little customer interaction, focusing on checking and dispensing medicines and working well below their scope. Some have been so disillusioned, they have sadly chosen to leave the profession.

More highly rewarding work for pharmacists

The shift away from pill dispensing toward a more people-centric approach is expected to bring many benefits to pharmacists. By taking a more proactive role in patient health care, pharmacists will be able to use their medical knowledge to help patients. They will have the time to get to know patients and develop stronger relationships. This will be highly rewarding both professionally and personally, leading to improved job performance and better retention rates. We might even see some lapsed pharmacists return to the profession.

We’ll need more certified PACTs and junior technicians as a result

As Pharmacists increasingly take on a consultative and prescribing role in front of the bench, we’re going to need a lot more PACTs behind the bench. PACTs will adopt the lead role in completing prescriptions and undertaking the final check in the dispensary. I’ve been advocating for this essential role for some time now as I wholeheartedly believe technicians have always been better at running a dispensary than pharmacists.

I encourage you to continue to incentivise and support more of your technicians to undertake PACT training to meet the increase in demand. Once PACTs are working to their full scope they will feel much more satisfied and business owners will find it easier to retain their very best staff.

Every PACT will need to be accompanied by a junior technician to dispense the actual script. The technician's schools will be humming again, as will the international trainee streams from India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, and the Middle East. 

We’ll have more motivated Technicians

Technicians are the unsung workhorses of our pharmacies and as the demand for more PACT technicians increases, pharmacy technicians will begin to see a more positive career pathway within their current pharmacy. This will both motivate them and encourage them to stay with their existing team.

Growing your business through adding value

It’s time to accept that the threat from discount pharmacy groups is here to stay. That doesn’t mean you should feel defeated. Most community pharmacies aren’t able to consistently compete on price you can however differentiate yourselves by providing value-added services. 

The Common Ailments Scheme is your opportunity to diversify and bring additional income into the business. You’ll be helping to alleviate the workload of doctors and contributing to improved health outcomes for the patients in your community.

Patient loyalty is worth its weight in gold

Patients will be happy to avoid GP queues and receive prompt medical attention. As their confidence grows, they will form closer loyal connections with their pharmacist, similar to the ones they have with their GP. You and your business will be rewarded with increased footfall, medical fees, and sales income.

Now that’s a much smarter way to grow a business.

Everyone’s a winner in this new era of pharmacy. It’s expected to alleviate the workload of doctors and lead to better health outcomes for patients. It delivers significant benefits to pharmacy owners and improves job satisfaction for everyone working in New Zealand pharmacy.

So let’s embrace the positive changes it brings and look forward to the future.