New program improving health care in Port Lincoln

Thursday, 20 February 2020

 

A new program designed to improve health care in Port Lincoln has quickly demonstrated how integrating pharmacists into the primary care team improves treatment outcomes and reduces the risk of medication errors.

 

Funded by the Country SA PHN and delivered in partnership with PSA, the Port Lincoln Pharmacist in General Practice project kicked off just a few weeks before Christmas.

 

“Medicine is the most common way we treat health conditions in Australia,” PSA SA/NT Branch President, Robyn Johns said. “While medicines can be very good for us, unfortunately medication can also cause harm. PSA’s own research has found 250,000 Australians are hospitalised each year, with another 400,000 presenting to emergency departments, as a result of medication errors, inappropriate use, misadventure and interactions. At least half of these could have been prevented.

 

“PSA believes supporting pharmacists to spend more time in all health care settings is key to improving medicine safety and quality use of medicines. We commend Country SA PHN for initiating this program and working to incorporate pharmacists more comprehensively into the primary health care team.”

 

“Country SA PHN has been concerned about the preventable harm caused by medication mishaps in our communities. We are very pleased to fund and collaborate with the PSA to develop this program to help minimise these harms for our country South Australian communities,” said Country SA PHN Chief Executive Officer, Kim Hosking.

 

“Embedding pharmacists in our general practices is having a positive impact on the health of rural South Australians and can play an important role in minimising the number of medication-related hospital admissions.”

 

Kylie van Rooijen has been working one and a half days a week in the Boston Bay Family Health Clinic providing a range of services including medication reviews, advice and education, and liaison between the general practice, hospitals and community pharmacy.

 

“Boston Bay Family Health is an innovative practice which is always looking for ways to improve health care services in our community,” Ms van Rooijen revealed. “They have been very supportive of this project and welcomed me into the practice.

 

While the project is only in its early days. Ms van Rooijen believes the potential benefits are significant.

 

“A key point in the health care journey where medication problems can arise is the transition from hospital in Adelaide back to the community,” Ms van Rooijen explained. “I view my job as being a medication translator. By reconciling hospital discharge summaries with general practice health records and conducting patient consultations, I reduce the possibility of medication problems such as treatment courses not being completed or a person failing to restart taking a vital medication which they were taken off during their hospital stay.”

 

“Available medications and the guidelines for their use change frequently. Pharmacists need to stay up to date with these changes and in this role I can ensure the clinic’s general practitioners and registrars can easily and quickly access this information, giving them more time to spend in patient care and improving safe and quality use of medicines.

 

Training as a Diabetes Educator, Ms van Rooijen looks forward to expanding the support available to the clinic’s patients.
“Boston Bay is a General Practice with a significant interest in GP obstetrics and together we can offer increased advice and care to mother’s-to-be who have gestational diabetes,” Ms van Rooijen said.

 

With a career spanning 30 years, Ms van Rooijen believes this project will develop new ways to deliver health care that will attract and inspire future generations of pharmacists.

 

“I have loved working as a pharmacist, but my passion has definitely been reignited through my involvement in this project,” Ms van Rooijen said.

 

The Pharmacist in General Practice project is currently scheduled to run until June 2021.

 

Media contact: PSA Media 0487 922 176

Utilise pharmacist workforce to care for community

Measures proposed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) in its pre-Budget Submission are aimed at protecting Western Australians from preventable diseases and reducing pressure on the state’s hospital system.

 

In its 2020-21 Pre-Budget Submission, PSA identified three priority areas of action which will positively impact on health care and outcomes.

 

“Contributing to the burden on our hospitals is the significant number of presentations by patients with less-serious ailments, such as minor pain management or cold and flu,” PSA WA President, Dr Fei Sim said.

 

Of Western Australia’s 954,981 emergency department presentations during 2018-19, 74,032 were considered non-urgent.

 

Seventy percent of non-urgent presentations to emergency departments occur between the hours of 9am and 7pm, during the typical business hours of a community pharmacy.

 

“Recent research shows pharmacists have the skills and expertise to support patients who would currently seek care from a hospital,” Dr Sim said. “Pharmacists can provide self-care advice or triage patients and refer them to the appropriate health service.”

 

“In addition to pharmacists having the ability to provide quality care, the accessibility of the state’s 660 community pharmacies is a key reason why West Australians will consider them a viable alternative to a hospital when they have a relatively minor ailment. Most suburbs and towns have a local pharmacy, even when other health care services may be scarce. Each day, 140,000 West Australians visit a community pharmacy.”

 

To increase vaccination rates in Western Australia, PSA is recommending expanding the range of vaccines trained pharmacists are able to administer.

 

“Pharmacists are already authorised to provide vaccinations, but there are some limiting restrictions, For example, pharmacists can only provide diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine to people over the age of 16. Supporting pharmacist immunisers gives our community more choice and access and therefore increases our herd immunity as more Western Australians are protected against infectious diseases.”

 

In addition, PSA’s Pre-Budget Submission asks the Government to allocate funding to upskill pharmacists in mental health first aid.

 

“Nearly half of all Australians will experience a mental health illness in their lifetime,” Dr Sim said. “Mental health challenges are even more common in rural and remote areas where pharmacists are often the most accessible healthcare professional.

 

“Pharmacists are well placed to support patients in the community and identify them early so they can be referred to appropriate mental health providers, including general practitioners.”

 

In Western Australia, there are 3,132 registered pharmacists working in community pharmacies, hospital, general practice, aged care, academia, research, government and within other private sector organisations.

 

Media contact: Christianne White, PSA Western Australia – 0415 213 661

 

Download Media Release

 

Download Submission

QUT takes PSOTY Wildcard 2020 at NAPSA Congress

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) congratulates Melinda James of Queensland University of Technology (Queensland) for securing the Pharmacy Student of the Year (PSOTY) Wildcard title at NAPSA Congress in Newcastle.

 

The PSOTY Wildcard final was fiercely contested amongst a group of talented students across Australia, including:

• JOSHUA CLEMENTS – GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY (Queensland)
• KURTIS GRAY – UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Western Australia)
• MADELINE HILLS – UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Western Australia)
• MELINDA JAMES – QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (Queensland)
• MAEGAN JOHNSON – LATROBE UNIVERSITY (Victoria)
• ANTONI UKALOVIC – CURTIN UNIVERSITY (Western Australia)

 

Proudly supported by Mylan, the Pharmacy Student of the Year counselling competition recognises pharmacy students by showcasing their counselling skills to the pharmacy profession. Students are given the opportunity to utilise their clinical knowledge and implement their counselling skills using real life pharmacy scenarios.

 

“It is refreshing to see such capable and passionate students in this competition that are the future of pharmacy”, PSA National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman said. “Active listening, gaining adequate patient insights and checking patient understanding are important skills that support medicines safety and maximise patient outcomes”.

 

Melinda James as the PSOTY Wildcard winner will travel to the PSA20 National Conference held in Sydney from 31st July – 2nd August 2020, to compete for the national title of Pharmacy Student of the Year 2020.

 

Media contact: PSA Media – 0487 922 176

 

Download media release

 

Importance of medicine safety in mental health care cannot be ignored

Engaging pharmacists in the delivery of mental health care in Australia will lead to earlier intervention, improved treatment outcomes and a reduction in medication harms, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has argued in its response to the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report on Mental Health.

 

“Almost half of all Australians will experience mental ill-health during their lifetime. Tragically, thousands of people lose their life to suicide each year and it is estimated that for every death from intentional self-harm, as many as 30 people attempt to end their lives. This is a health crisis that touches us all and, as the Productivity Commission highlighted, we can do a lot better when it comes to providing care,” Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman said.

 

“Medicines are a major treatment modality in most mental illnesses so it is disappointing the Productivity Commission report failed to question how we can improve medication efficacy and safety,” A/Prof Freeman said. “Utilising the medicine expertise of pharmacists in the multidisciplinary care team, tailoring medication therapies and reviewing patient’s medication management can positively impact adherence, effectiveness of medicines prescribed and safe use of medicines.”

 

“Access to health care is vital for people dealing with mental health illness, yet there are a range of barriers that can limit people’s access to a general practitioner. With the majority of Australians visiting their pharmacist around 14 times a year, our profession can help care for and triage patients experiencing mental ill-health or a mental health crisis.”

 

Research released last year found 85 per cent of pharmacists had interacted with someone at risk of suicide at least once and 10 per cent have interacted with someone at risk of suicide more than 10 times.

 

“Enabling pharmacists to recognise potential signs and symptoms of mental ill-health, support patients and refer on to GPs or emergency care, has the potential to not only improve outcomes, but potentially save lives,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

“We have called on governments across the nation to provide funding to increase pharmacist mental health first aid training and reiterated this recommendation in our response to the Productivity Commission.

“PSA does not believe we can address mental health challenges without considering quality use of medicines (QUM) and hopes the Productivity Commission’s final report will tackle this vital issue.”

 

The Pharmaceutical Society made five key recommendations to the Productivity Commission:

1. Develop and implement regular review of medicines for people with mental ill health to reduce the time to respond to medicine-related problems and to reduce debilitating side effects from medicines which can be preventable.
2. Incorporate pharmacogenomic testing in primary care supported by medicines expertise of pharmacists for people with mental ill health to personalise medicine therapies to improve the safe and quality use of medicines.
3. Integrate pharmacists in suicide prevention strategies, including supporting pharmacists in their triage role of providing support to people they encounter in mental health crisis situations.
4. Support pharmacists, who are often one of the only front-line healthcare providers in rural and remote regions to incorporate early identification, triage and support for people with mental ill health.
5. Ensure pharmacists, as frontline health professionals in contact with people with mental ill health, have the required expertise such as mental health first aid, to support early identification, triage and support for people with mental ill health.

 

Click here for a full copy of the submission

 

Media contact: PSA Media – 0487 922 176

 

Download media release here

Utilise pharmacists to improve health care in NSW

Australian’s affected by bushfires will be able to access their medicines in an emergency at PBS prices

A temporary expansion of PBS Continued Dispensing to cover nearly all PBS medicines will mean Australians affected by the bushfire crisis will be able to access their vital medicines at regular PBS prices if they find themselves without a prescription, following a move strongly welcomed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

Under the temporary change announced this afternoon by Health Minister Hon Greg Hunt, from Monday 13 January 2020, pharmacists will be able to offer standard quantities of ongoing PBS medicines for the standard co-payment– being $6.60 for concession card holders, and up to a maximum of $41.00 for general patients – where PBS medicines are supplied without a prescription in an emergency situation.

 

This move supports the recent issue of temporary authorities to legally supply full-supplies of these medicines in an emergency in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.

 

Prior to this announcement, the PBS Continued Dispensing initiative only applied to PBS-listed oral contraceptives and cholesterol lowering medicines. This meant consumers were unable to access PBS subsidies when pharmacists supplied most medicines under emergency supply provisions. This resulted in patients suffering significant surprise out-of-pocket costs when accessing medicines in an emergency.

 

Natalie Thorton was evacuated from Eden to Merimbula with her husband and children. The last matter on her mind was remembering to take any prescription medicines with her. Mrs Thorton said “an emergency evacuation from an out of control bushfire was so traumatic, being able to walk in to the pharmacy and get the medicines my family required in a caring and supportive environment was one less thing that I had to worry about”.

 

In welcoming the move, PSA National President Associate Professor Chris Freeman said, “PSA have been working with the government and its departments on this issue for many months and we congratulate the leadership shown by the Health Minister on today’s announcement.”

 

“The last thing people need in the middle of this crisis is to find the money to pay for their medicines which would have otherwise been subsidised. This provision will make a huge different to unfair and unexpected out-of-pocket medicine expenses for people who are displaced by fires.”

 

“PSA’s existing Guidelines for the continued dispensing of eligible prescribed medicines by pharmacists provide clear information to pharmacists on how to appropriately supply of medicines in these situations. I am confident pharmacists will adhere to these requirements when supplying PBS medicines under this temporary expansion.

 

PSA believes more work is needed to enable provisions to be automatically available when the next disaster strikes.

 

“We are keen to work with the federal government in collaboration with their state and territory counterparts after this crisis subsides to permanently incorporate effective and nationally consistent emergency supply provisions,” Associate Professor Freeman noted.

 

“PSA will continue to advocate for a long term solution on behalf of all Australians. We need nationally consistent emergency supply rules for medicines which ensure patients get the medicines they urgently need at the price they know and can afford” said Associate Professor Freeman.

 

The expanded PBS Continued Dispensing provisions takes effect from Monday 13 January 2020 and expires on 31 March 2020.

 

PSA will communicate this temporary change to pharmacists in addition to information published on the Department of Health website via www.pbs.gov.au.

 

Download media release here

Community pharmacists supporting smoke-affected Canberrans

As Canberra’s air quality is set to deteriorate again tonight, Canberrans most vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality due to the bushfire smoke blanketing the ACT can attend their local pharmacist for advice and to access one of the 100,000 Commonwealth Government supplied P2 masks delivered to every community pharmacy across the Territory this week.
 
“Around the country, pharmacists have rallied in support of their communities and are doing what they can to help as bushfires devastate so many parts of Australia,” Pharmaceutical Society of Australia ACT Vice President, Professor Mark Naunton said.
 
“In the ACT this week, pharmacists have stepped up to coordinate and provide access to protective masks for Canberrans most sensitive to smoke, such as those over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease.”
 
Yesterday the Commonwealth Government delivered 100,000 P2 masks to the nation’s capital and staff from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia joined forces to work with ACT Health to get them to community pharmacies as their final destination.
 
Simon Blacker, ACT President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia reflected; “What I saw when I was delivering masks for vulnerable people to ACT community pharmacies was a mixture of joy and relief that masks were arriving that would allow the pharmacy to be able to help their local communities and their local patients. The teams of pharmacists and staff were excited to be empowered to help, and this is a common trait of all community pharmacies and those that work within them.”
 
“As we travelled around the city and visited each of Canberra’s 80 pharmacies was a network of community pharmacists eager to help out and play a part in keeping Canberrans safe from the harmful effects of pollution,” Prof. Naunton said. “This is another example of the important role pharmacists play in responding to public health issues and natural disasters.”
 
“By the time the task was completed yesterday afternoon, we believe about one-third of masks had already been provided free of charge to members of our community, showing how urgent the need in Canberra was,” Mr Blacker said.
 
Mr Blacker urged Canberrans to contact their local pharmacy for any queries regarding availability; “Access to this supply of masks is being prioritised for Canberrans whose health is at risk due to smoke. Anyone who falls in this category is encouraged to visit their local pharmacy. If your local pharmacy has run out, another nearby is likely to have some available.”

---

IMPORTANT HEALTH ADVICE:

• The community are reminded that up to date health advice and further information on how to use a P2/N95 mask properly is on the ACT Health website (www.health.act.gov.au).
• The community are also reminded that use of masks is also not an alternative to avoiding exposure to the smoke outdoors.
• The best way to protect yourself and your family is to stay indoors (with windows and doors closed) when heavy smoke is around.

---

Media contact
PSA Media, 0487 922 176
Pharmacy Guild of Australia (ACT Branch), Simon Blacker 0418 477 168
 

Download media release here

Bushfire Support

The current bushfires across Australia have resulted in unprecedented demand on pharmacists working in multiple settings, especially in community pharmacy.
 
PSA have heard many stories and first hand examples of pharmacists going above and beyond in their support of their communities. We have also heard of barriers to accessing and providing care in these disaster affected zones.
 
PSA have been in contact with the Commonwealth Department of Health, the office of the Commonwealth Health Minister, and the Australian Defence Force. PSA will continue to provide advice to these agencies about the requirements on the ground.
 
Members who are experiencing challenges in delivering care to their local communities can email bushfires@psa.org.au and we will pass on your requirements to the relevant State and or Commonwealth Departments.
 
These issues may be in the context of the following

• Logistical supplies of medicines
• Workforce support
• Power interruption
• Payment of medicines
• Mental health support for staff.

 
In the long term we will continue to address two major areas of concern for you and for your patients:

• The need for more flexible emergency supply arrangements, especially in disaster periods
• The need for meaningful support for community pharmacy in disaster planning and preparedness.

 
PSA are seeking advice regarding the supply of Schedule 3 medicines during this period from the relevant state health departments, and will provide advice when this available. In the absence of specific information from State health departments regarding the supply of medicines in these circumstances, including salbutamol, we urge pharmacists to exercise their professional judgment in the appropriate supply of medicines.
 
Times like this can be very hard, even for those not directly affected. If you or your staff require support, you can access the Pharmacists’ Support Service by calling 1300 244 910.
 
Beyond Blue have some good resources that you, your staff and community may find beneficial during this time, including this guide to looking after yourself in a disaster.
 
I hope and trust that you all remain safe.
 

A/Prof Chris Freeman
National President
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia

Budget an opportunity to improve health care for Tasmanians

My Health Record a key to medicine safety

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia believes the My Health Record system can significantly contribute to improved medicine safety in Australia and welcomes the Commonwealth’s commitment to continually improving this important digital health program.
 
This week the Digital Health Agency agreed to all five recommendations made by the Australian National Audit Office in its report Implementation of the My Health Record System.
 
“Overall, the report found implementation has been largely effective. Its recommendations focus on privacy and security of health information and the Digital Health Agency has undertaken to work with stakeholders to raise standards in health information management,” Pharmaceutical Society of Australia National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman said.
 
“Uptake and participation are vital to the success of My Health Record. Therefore, ensuring both providers and patients are confident information is safe is essential.”
 
PSA is pleased the participation rate for pharmacies stands at 90 per cent, but would like to see more utilisation across the health care sector.
 
“The usage for healthcare provider organisations is growing and we’d certainly hope that as people come to understand the benefits this tool offers, we see that quickly increase.
 
“My Health Record’s potential to improve health care and save lives relies on the quality of information contained.”
 
PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take Care report highlighted the impact a shared digital health record can have on care.
 
National implementation of the My Health Record will help pharmacists improve medicine safety. Access to a complete medication history will provide pharmacists with the opportunity to proactively intervene to both document and reduce adverse reactions, with improved documentation leading to less use of contraindicated therapy and the availability of the complete medication history enabling better detection of multi-medicine interactions.
 
The availability of hospital discharge summaries within My Health Record will provide the opportunity for pharmacists to proactively prevent and resolve medication-related problems post-discharge with medication reconciliation and review.
 
Media contact:PSA Media Phone 0487 922 176 media@psa.org.au
 

Download the media release here