Trust aims for one-on-one pharmacist

Ro Griffiths, chairman of the Ruamahanga Health Trust, said the group had wanted a full pharmacy service for "a number of years".

A pharmacy which could be attached to the town's medical centre is being proposed for Martinborough.

The Martinborough Pharmacy closed in 2004 and since then Lang's Pharmacy in Featherston has provided a depot service to the town.

Ro Griffiths, chairman of the Ruamahanga Health Trust, which owns the Martinborough Health Centre, said it was still early days but they had wanted a full pharmacy service for "a number of years".

"We would like to create an integrated system where the pharmacy works closely with the doctors.

"We only have a depot, the pharmacist doesn't have the opportunity to meet the patients to talk about their medication."

Lisa Cornelissen, chair of the Martinborough Community Board, said there was a conversation going on about how to provide the best pharmacy services in South Wairarapa.

She said the prescriptions were currently couriered to the depot from Featherston.

"What's missing is the ability to talk to the pharmacist, there's no one-on-one contact for people, particularly for elderly patients, which is a shame."

Martinborough ward councillor Max Stevens said some people had to travel to other towns to fill their prescriptions.

He said he supported the idea.

The Wairarapa District Health Board said its priority was to have a good pharmacy service available in Martinborough and that could be provided in different ways.

DHBs have contracts with pharmacies to provide certain services.

"The current depot arrangement between the Featherston pharmacy and Martinborough appears to be working well," said Helene Carbonatto, the Group Manager Service Development for the Service Integration and Development Unit for Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital & Coast DHBs.

Mr Griffiths said nothing would be happening in the near future.

The trust will make a presentation about the concept to the community board at its next meeting in February 2015.