New Brunswick pharmacy care program discontinued — though clients, pharmacists call it a success

Luke Beirne · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 2:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

A aviator programme that allowed pharmacists to manage and prescribe for certain chronic conditions, specified arsenic diabetes and asthma, has been a large success, according to the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association — yet the state volition not beryllium extending it. 

The Pharmacy Care Clinic programme enabled pharmacists to supply further attraction to patients, nether Medicare, at clinics successful six locations: Fredericton, Moncton, Hampton, Paquetville and Riverview.

Under the pilot, launched by the Higgs government  Aug. 1, 2023, pharmacists were capable to connection chronic illness absorption for patients who had previously been diagnosed with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD), asthma and cardio-vascular disease by a doc oregon caregiver practitioner.

Point-of-care investigating and prescribing for patients aged 3 and older with symptoms accordant with strep pharynx was besides available. 

These clinics handled thousands of appointments, reducing the fig of unnecessary visits to exigency rooms, said Anne Marie Picone, executive manager of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association. 

While patients and participating pharmacies in New Brunswick valued the expanded role, the authorities of New Brunswick decided not to proceed the programme past the proceedings period, Picone said.

She described the aviator task arsenic "fabulous" and said that it "really lived up to its expectations." 

During a six-month play of evaluation, much than 10,000 patients were seen, and diligent restitution scores showed that 100 per cent of those surveyed would urge the service to household and friends, and that they would spell back.

"They were seen [for] archetypal visits, they were seen for travel up visits. They were besides seen for assessing for strep pharynx and if indispensable they were tested and treated ... it was very, very, precise affirmative acquisition each around."

Picone said patients without superior attraction providers successful these locations could spell to a session alternatively than the ER, "easing the burden" connected the health-care strategy and expanding entree to care. 

With the program, 88 per cent of participants were capable to get an assignment wrong 2 days, information from the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association shows.

CBC News contacted the Department of Health astir the determination to extremity the pilot. Spokesperson Sean Hatchard said, successful a statement, that "the aviator did not importantly interaction wellness outcomes, arsenic highlighted successful the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training report."

Stakeholders and superior attraction providers "expressed concerns that the aviator clinics contributed to further fragmentation of health-care services successful New Brunswick," Hatchard said.

After viewing the valuation report, CBC News is awaiting more details from the department about the rationale for cutting the program.

Department of Health is "transitioning from solo superior attraction practices to collaborative superior attraction teams" and community-based pharmacists "will beryllium integrated into collaborative attraction teams, oregon household wellness teams, to negociate chronic illness treatment." 

In Nova Scotia, which had a akin program, determination was much than a 9 per cent alteration successful ER visits during the trial, truthful the state expanded the program, which present has much than 45 clinics participating. 

In a statement, Opposition wellness professional Bill Hogan said the decision to extremity the programme "is incorrect and indispensable beryllium reversed." He said helium volition inquire the premier for an mentation erstwhile the legislature returns adjacent week.

Pharmacists successful New Brunswick are inactive authorized to measure and prescribe for much than "30 communal ailments, which are typically short-term afflictions that don't request laboratory oregon humor testing," according to the pharmacists' relation website.