Pharmac to refresh patient advisory function

Pharmac is refreshing its patient advisory function as part of work to strengthen how patient voices and lived experience inform its decisions.

“Pharmac’s focus over the past year has been to make sure the voices of patients and their families are at the heart of our decisions,” says Pharmac Chair Paula Bennett.

As part of this work, Pharmac’s Board decided to refresh its patient advisory function to provide stronger input on Pharmac’s improvement work. It will strengthen connections between patient advocates and the Board, and ensure the membership, role, and expectations of the advisory group are fit for the future.

Bennett says patient and consumer feedback, including feedback from members of the two consumer groups, highlighted the need to reconsider the role and structure of its consumer advisory function to ensure it is fit for purpose.

A new Community and Patient Advisory Committee (CPAC) will replace both the current Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) and Consumer and Patient Working Group (CAPWG).

The Consumer and Patient Working Group ran from July 2025 to June 2026 and was specifically created to ensure that patient experiences informed Pharmac’s 12-month Reset Programme. The Consumer Advisory Committee was established in 2003 to provide input to Pharmac’s Board from a consumer and patient perspective and was disestablished on 31 July 2026.

Day-to-day engagement on Pharmac’s work will be led by Pharmac’s new Consumer Relations team, working directly with consumer and patient advocates on specific issues.

“Together, these changes mean we can hear from people earlier and more often, so their experiences will shape our work from the start,” Bennett says.

An interim Consumer Advisory Committee will advise on the development and establishment of the CPAC, including its terms of reference, engagement approach, and implementation arrangements.