Reduced contact with pharmacists because of a sector shake-up has sparked a call for more neighbourly concern for the elderly.
University of Otago School of Pharmacy senior lecturer Dr Rhiannon Braund said when contacted a new regime introduced last July meant more patients received larger quantities of medication less often.
Figures from DHB Shared Services show that from July last year to the end of April, repeat prescriptions fell 14.5% nationally. In the Southern DHB district, they fell just over 11%. The drop was due to the new contract clamping down on frequent dispensing.
New prescriptions rose 3.8% in Southern, and 2.9% nationally, over the same time period, which was part of a long-term trend. The data shows patients are more likely to receive medication in three or even six-monthly amounts, rather than weekly or monthly.
Dr Braund said while it might be considered ''old fashioned'', she hoped people would display greater concern for elderly neighbours.
''It does worry me that people are going for longer periods of time now without any kind of interaction [with a pharmacist], or someone keeping an eye on them.''
Regular contact with their pharmacy was a chance for patients to talk about their condition between GP visits. She believed the benefits of a quick visit to pharmacy had been underestimated.
A new long-term conditions register of patients requiring more support had strict criteria for acceptance, Dr Braund said.
In an information sheet for clinicians last year, Pharmac said frequent dispensing overuse had caused a ''budgetary blowout''. Because pharmacies were paid by the number of scripts under the old system, there had been a financial incentive to encourage clinicians to stipulate frequent dispensing, the paper said.
Pharmacy Guild chief executive Lee Hohaia said when contacted this week the new contract required pharmacists to focus more on patients with high needs.
The long-term conditions register was for those needing help to comply with medication instructions. Pharmacists could apply to admit patients who fell outside the criteria in exceptional circumstances, she said.
Repeats might reduce by up to 20% over time, Mrs Hohaia said. She acknowledged the pharmacy contract introduced last year was still generating considerable anxiety among pharmacists, but said this was to be expected.
DHB Shared Services community pharmacy services programme director Tracey Adamson said in an emailed statement the new contract had had the desired effect of reducing ''unnecessary'' repeats.
''There are two main benefits from this reduction in repeats - it is more convenient for patients, and secondly, it frees up pharmacy time to focus on the higher-needs patients who need pharmacy assistance to adhere to their medications.''
