Pharmacy Daily | NZ pharmacist prescribes

New Zealand’s Grey Base Hospital, located in the country’s West Coast region, will be first to see pharmacists prescribing within their scope of practice under the new laws passed there (PD July 17). Grey Base’s Pharmacy Manager Nick Leach is one of 14 pharmacists nationwide (and the only one within mental health) who have completed the new Postgraduate Certificate in pharmacist prescribing and who have registered with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand. “I am now able to review patients within the Mental Health inpatient unit, working with other health professionals to evaluate the effectiveness of their current medication,” Nick said. “This allows me to adjust doses, add new medications or stop treatments. “It also means a more efficient discharge process for people as I can write the discharge prescriptions.” According to the West Coast District Health Board, to qualify, pharmacist prescribers have to work with a Designated Medical Practitioner to supervise and mentor their training. Nick worked with West Coast District Health Board Clinical Director Mental Health Services Dr David Stoner. “I have been able to see the evolution of the role and also help Nick mould her practice to fit mental health needs. “Collaborative prescribing ensures safe access to the right medication at the right time,” said Dr Stoner. Having a pharmacist prescriber at the hospital is also seen as significant to the local community, because it means people won’t have to wait for a specialist to be on site to adjust their medications. And when specialists are in attendance they will have more time to spend with complex patients.

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