Pharmacy Procedures Manual

The Pharmacy Procedures Manual came into effect on 1 March 2010 and has been revised to align with the Pharmacy Services Agreement.

Projects

1.  'Optimising Prescribing Project’ (OPP)

Auckland and Counties Manukau District Health Boards have jointly commissioned a project called the ‘Optimising Prescribing Project’ (OPP) that is focused on reducing medicine wastage, encouraging evidence based prescribing and improving the safety and quality of life for their populations. Targeted interventions have been developed where there has been identified waste, or a change in best practice. The project structure is around the implementation of GP cell groups that look at their prescribing practices against their peers and the targeted interventions.

OPP Bulletins

2.  Medicines Use Review

The Evaluation of ADHB’s Medicines Use Review Pilot: The ADMiRE Report

Medicines use review is a new and emerging community based pharmacy service intended to help improve medicines use. It seeks to educate patients about their medicines and improve adherence to medications along with identifying barriers to optimal medication use.

In 2006, ADHB requested pharmacy providers develop proposals for innovative medication management services. Three contracts were successfully tendered, two for community-based MUR services and one, from a residential care provider, for an annual medicines review (AMR) service. The University of Auckland’s School of Pharmacy was contracted to provide an evaluation of the pilot services. The evaluation found that both the community and residential pilot services demonstrated some evidence of benefit to patients and providers.

ADMiRE Report  ADMiRE Appendix

3.  Auckland District Health Board Emergency Contraceptive Pill Project

The Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) pilot provided a free ECP service through Community Pharmacies together with a pamphlet detailing how ECP should be taken and what else should be done, how to get information on other methods of contraception, where to go regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections and how to seek help if the sex was non consensual. This pilot was run between October 2008 – March 2009. The evaluation of this pilot reveals some interesting findings.