Overview

Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group is taking part in the upcoming pharmacy sector initiative ScriptAudit.

You may have heard about this initiative already - this is the data collection on prescription interventions and issues undertaken late last year across the Te Manawa Taki (Midland) Region. Read more…

We’ll be running the audit on the week commencing 16th February, at the same time as MidCentral CPG and with some Midland CPG pharmacies. 

Running the audit in Canterbury presents a great opportunity both to get local insights into the issues our community pharmacies are dealing with and to add highly valuable data to the national dataset.

This timing is to enable the data to be included in an upcoming national level improvement planning meeting in March.

What’s the Script audit about?

Pharmacists regularly identify prescribing issues that pose risks to patient safety and add unfunded workload. In the past these issues have been invisible in national data but as Community Pharmacy Groups working together across the country we’re changing that by collecting and collating data. There is very encouraging traction from health system organisations in progressing a national improvement plan based on the Te Manawa Taki data, but a broader dataset across other parts of New Zealand will add significant weight and drive to this.

Why We’re Participating

ScriptAudit is recognised as the go-to source for script issue data at national level discussions with GPNZ, Health NZ, HQSC and the Ministry of Health.

Our Script Audit will:

  • Provide credible, region-wide data to inform local and national quality improvement efforts

  • Highlight the critical value of pharmacy interventions that support high‑quality, patient‑centred pharmacy services

  • Contribute to a safer and easier future prescribing environment by working in partnership across the wider primary care sector

  • Every pharmacy brings extremely valuable insights - we want these to be represented in national conversations

What’s involved?

We’re encouraging all of our pharmacy members to participate so that we have solid data for our area.

  • A one-week snapshot: pharmacists or technicians record script issues as they arise each day – ideally for the whole week but shorter periods will also help

  • Simple app-based form: easy reporting through the dedicated secure script app which works on phones, tablets and PCs. No patient or prescriber details are collected

  • Minimal time commitment: It takes only about 15 seconds to submit a report

  • No cost to pharmacies

  • Optional case examples: an option to upload de-identified photos of poor scripts

  • Keeping a record of which days the pharmacy audited

  • New scripts data: we’ll collect the number of new scripts received for each day you were able to audit so that we can calculate intervention rates

How will we support our member pharmacies to take part?

Participating is very easy but we’re here to provide any support and guidance needed.

  • A participant guide will be provided.

  • Phone and email support is available.

  • Participation is voluntary — even partial data is valuable.

  • Each Pharmacy will choose a Lead to:

  • receive communications, resources and support from us and,

  • give their team regular reminders and encouragement to keep up the recording momentum during the week. 

Contact:

Do you want to take part in ScriptAudit or would like more information.

Please email us on admin@ccpg.org.nz

 

Comments from Midlands Participants in the September pilot:

Hi, can we carry on the audit after the audit week? It was great to use - very simple and time efficient. The information must be very powerful. Great idea!
Pharmacy Owner, Gisborne

Thank you so much for doing this audit, it’s desperately needed. We’re extremely busy and didn’t think we’d have time to do it but the app is so easy to use – especially for us older ones that aren’t very tech savvy – thank you. 
Senior Pharmacist, New Plymouth

Such a great initiative.
Would be amazing if this was done as a nationwide project for 1 week every year to see if there were any improvements over time
Pharmacy Owner, Bay of Plenty

We didn’t think we’d have the capacity to do the audit as we were short staffed. However, I’ve now seen how quick it is to report and no paperwork and am regretting not being involved as we have a high volume of issues. Could we participate whenever you do it again please?
Pharmacy Owner, Waikato