Last year Pharmac appointed the Consumer and Patient Working Group (the Working Group) to help Pharmac reset how it works with patients and consumers, today they met for the last time having achieved that goal, Associate Health Minister David Seymour says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe patient community used to picket outside Pharmac. This group has transformed that relationship by giving patients an ongoing voice at the table when Pharmac makes its decisions,\u201d Mr Seymour says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank Dr Mulholland and all members of the Working Group for their work over the past year. The work done to reset the relationship between Pharmac and the patient community is a big reason for the change in Pharmac\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen new leadership took over Pharmac they set out to change the culture. It was clear that Pharmac could provide a better service for Kiwis. They came up with a 5-year plan to take Pharmac to the level Kiwis deserve. To inform the plan Pharmac conducted a number of reviews, engaged with the patient community, and took part in workshops.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, two years ago Pharmac hosted the Consumer Engagement Workshops. This put the patient community in a room with Pharmac\u2019s decision makers to answer the question: how can Pharmac do better for Kiwi patients? The patient community told Pharmac the first step was to reset the patient \u2013 Pharmac relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cPharmac invited workshop participants, in association with the wider consumer-patient representative community, to select the Working Group to help reset the patient \u2013 Pharmac relationship. Dr Malcolm Mulholland was selected as the chair. The Working Group was set up for the first 12-month phase in the 5-year plan. The next phase in the plan will be announced shortly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Working Group has shown what\u2019s possible when Pharmac partners with consumer advocates and patients. Their advice helped shape Pharmac\u2019s initial 12-month Reset Programme which has improved patient engagement, transparency, and organisational culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past year, Pharmac has:<\/p>\n
improved how it works with patient advocates by creating a dedicated consumer relations function
\nmade it easier for patients to give feedback on Pharmac proposals by introducing a new consultation tool and creating better consultation processes
\nprogressed a refreshed vision and strategy that sets a clear, ambitious direction for the future that fosters trust, collaboration, and innovation
\nbegun a review of its Exceptional Circumstances Framework, including Named Patient Pharmaceutical Assessments (NPPA)
\ntrialled new approaches to reduce its funding application backlog, including piloting a rapid assessment process<\/p>\n
\u201cThe progress so far has been impressive, but there is more work to be done. Listening to the voices of patients and consumers will continue to be at the heart of Pharmac\u2019s work as it launches the next phase of its long-term improvement programme,\u201d Mr Seymour says.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients are reaping the benefits. Since this Government took over we\u2019ve allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift Pharmac. With that money, Pharmac has made 133 decisions to fund or widen access to medicines. This includes decisions on 46 cancer medicines. Over 360,000 patients have benefited.\u201d<\/p>\n
The consumer working group members are:<\/p>\n
Dr Malcolm Mulholland MNZM \u2013 Patient Voice Aotearoa
\nLibby Burgess MNZM \u2013 Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition
\nTim Edmonds \u2013 Leukaemia and Blood Cancer NZ
\nChris Higgins \u2013 Rare Disorders NZ
\nFrancesca Holloway \u2013 Arthritis NZ
\nTrent Lash \u2013 Heartbeats Charitable Trust
\nGerard Rushton \u2013 The Meningitis Foundation
\nRachel Smalley MNZM \u2013 The Medicine Gap
\nTracy Tierney \u2013 Epilepsy NZ
\nDeon York \u2013 Haemophilia NZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last year Pharmac appointed the Consumer and Patient Wo 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