PSNZ president calls for meeting in response to health sector changes

We are entering a new world. All the pharmacy groups will need to work as a team if we are to obtain the best outcomes for our workforce and the communities we serve

Pharmaceutical Society president Michael Hammond is calling for pharmacy sector leaders to meet to discuss how pharmacy will fit into the rapid changes occurring at Te Whatu Ora.

Health minister Shane Reti announced on Monday that he was appointing Lester Levy as a commissioner to replace the agency’s board. Dr Reti said the appointment would be for a 12-month term and Professor Levy would be tasked with slashing the health agency’s spending by $1.4 billion.

This afternoon, Mr Hammond sent a statement calling for a meeting of sector leaders.

“We will discuss the situation and map out a way we can work together to ensure pharmacy is part of the formation of what is to come in the future of health,” Mr Hammond says.

Appointing a commissioner is a significant change, and while it is not yet clear how exactly this will affect the pharmacy workforce, Mr Hammond anticipates the impact will become clear soon.

“We are entering a new world. All the pharmacy groups will need to work as a team if we are to obtain the best outcomes for our workforce and the communities we serve,” Mr Hammond says in his statement.

The pharmacy sector is also currently facing cuts to the COVID-19 antivirals service funding, and a below-inflation funding increase offer of 2.51 per cent, which pharmacy representatives at the National Annual Agreement Review have called unacceptable.

All these things add to the “constant struggle” the entire pharmacy workforce is facing, Mr Hammond says, and the pharmacy sector needs to be appropriately funded if it is going to be part of the solution to wider health sector problems.

At a press conference at North Shore Hospital yesterday, Professor Levy said he couldn’t provide exact details on where the planned cuts will be made, but he expects to be able to release more information in the coming weeks.

The cutbacks will involve simplifying, streamlining and rationalising many of its operations and reducing waste and duplication, Professor Levy says.

Te Whatu Ora, which Professor Levy describes as bloated and bureaucratic, is currently overspending by more than $130 million a month, he says.

It should be focused, he says, on the delivery of health services and supporting those on the front line.

“I fully believe that’s entirely possible, but we have to change our focus, we have to change our operating model.”

Greater regional devolution is now more important than ever, he says. Under changes outlined at the press conference by chief executive Margie Apa, there will now be four regional deputy chief executives who will answer to Professor Levy and Ms Apa.

They will be responsible not only for hospital and specialist services, Ms Apa says, but also commissioning in their respective areas.

Professor Levy was asked about concerns in primary healthcare over the impact the cuts could have on them and the pressure the sector was already under.

“We aren’t looking to make our savings out of that area,” he says. “But we are looking to get more productivity out of that area, we are looking to get more clinical services out of that area.

“I’m very sympathetic to primary care because that’s a critical part of the health system. And we want to find ways of interacting with them that are different so that we can do better for our patients.”

*Additional reporting New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa