Every year, many thousands of prescriptions are dispensed and over the counter sales made by pharmacists practising in New Zealand. Most health consumers are really happy with the service and advice they receive but occasionally a member of the public is not satisfied. Your rights when receiving a health service are set out in the Code of Health and Disability Service Consumers' Rights. Pharmacists must abide by this Code. Information about your rights is available from your pharmacist, the Pharmacy Council, or the office of the Health and Disability Commissioner.
Talk to your pharmacist
To help avoid problems, we recommend that you talk to your pharmacist about your medicines and any concerns you have at the time your medicine is dispensed. Many problems can be avoided by making sure you have as much information regarding your treatment as possible. If there are any concerns at all, we would encourage you to talk to your pharmacist first.
HDC and the Pharmacy Council
If, after contacting your pharmacist, you feel your problem still hasn't been solved, or if it is not practical or reasonable to talk about your concerns with the pharmacist, there are other sources of help available.
The Pharmacy Council is responsible for ensuring that pharmacists maintain high standards of practice. It is not the Pharmacy Council's role to deal with complaints about pharmacists. This is carried out by the Health and Disability Commissioner. The Pharmacy Council does not discipline pharmacists. This is carried out by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal which is a separate organisation.
Every consumer has the right to complain about a provider. You can contact the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner. Please note that any written complaints received by the Pharmacy Council involving a health consumer are required to be forwarded to the Health & Disability Commissioner.
If the Commissioner decides that a complaint raises issues about a pharmacist's competence, professional conduct, or his or her fitness to practice then he may refer the complaint to the Pharmacy Council. This may result in the Pharmacy Council undertaking one of the following actions:
• carrying out a review of the pharmacist's competence and require the pharmacist to undertake a programme for the purpose of upskilling his/her practice.
• monitoring a pharmacist's health and requiring the pharmacist to received treatment if he/she is suffering from an illness which is affecting his/her practice.
• Bringing a charge before the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
• Suspending a pharmacist's practice or imposing conditions, such as supervision, on a pharmacist's practice if it is considered that the pharmacist is a serious risk to public health and safety.
Neither the Tribunal nor the Pharmacy Council can award compensation to a complainant.
Contact details for the Health and Disability Commissioner:
Freephone 0800 11 22 33
Auckland 09 373 1060, Wellington 04 494 7900
PO Box 1791, Auckland,
Website: - www.hdc.org.nz
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