WA PSA recognises outstanding pharmacists

10 May 2021

 

The high quality health care provided by Western Australia’s pharmacists has been recognised at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) WA Annual Therapeutic Update (ATU) conference.

 

WA PSA President, Dr Fei Sim, presented awards for WA Intern of the Year, WA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year, WA Pharmacist of the Year and WA Lifetime Achievement Award at the award ceremony held at the WA ATU in Perth on Saturday 8 May to:

 

• Ashtyn Pitts MPS, WA Intern of the Year
• Kate Fulford MPS, WA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year
• Richard Smirk MPS, WA Pharmacist of the Year
• Rhonda Clifford FPS, WA Lifetime Achievement Award

 

Dr Sim noted the awardees had gone above-and-beyond for their patients and colleagues at a time of uncertainty and change in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“As pharmacists and frontline health professionals, our routines have been altered and many changes have been made in the last year. Our profession has shone during these difficult times and we can add the words ‘resilient’, ‘excellence’ and ‘collaborative’ to our expertise”, said Dr Sim.

 

“For example, Ashtyn volunteered to compound hand sanitiser in the pharmacy after-hours to help protect the community at a time of extreme shortages, while Kate has produced resources for doctors and pharmacists to help reduce the unnecessary and often dangerous use of sedating antipsychotics in people living with dementia.”

 

Dr Sim said the awardees were an inspiration to other pharmacists and to their community.

“The winners of this year’s Western Australia PSA awards have all demonstrated PSA’s vision and excellence. Whether it was empowering pharmacists to be more responsible for medicine safety, demonstrating working collaboratively within a healthcare team, or providing support and education to the next generation of pharmacists.”

 

Awardee Profiles

Ashtyn Pitts, Intern of the Year

Stay Home and Stay Safe

Ashtyn is a versatile and resourceful professional who embraced her local community during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

 

Undertaking her intern year in Dalyellup, just south of Bunbury, she organised and advertised a Stay Home and Stay Safe health promotion for the local community during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, there were also significant shortage of alcohol-based hand sanitisers and Ashtyn organised the sterile manufacture and supply of sanitisers to nearby schools and the community. Ashtyn also conducts presentations and checks the blood pressure and blood glucose levels monthly at the nearby retirement village.

 

Quotes attributable to Dr Fei Sim:

“Ms Pitts is well liked in the community and extremely approachable. Her work after-hours to produce hand sanitisers for her community during extreme shortages, as well as collaborative approach to patient care shows initiative, drive and a focus on patient needs.”

 

“Ashtyn embodies the PSA’s values and has a bright future ahead of her.”

 

Kate Fulford, Early Career Pharmacist of the Year

Expanding the scope of pharmacy practice

 

The Early Career Pharmacist Award has gone to Kate Fulford, for her innovative ideas and challenging the scope of pharmacy practice.

 

Kate is a practicing GP pharmacist in Perth’s CBD whose interests lie in in improving medicine use in elderly and vulnerable populations by increasing education and support during transitions of care. Her special interest in chronic disease has seen her take on further qualifications as a diabetes educator, to further the work of GP Pharmacist’s and improve quality use of medicines.

 

Additionally, she is a senior research assistant in an NHMRC funded research project aiming to improve brain health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

 

Kate has been a consultant pharmacist with Dementia Training Australia. She has developed educational programs for health professionals focusing on improving understanding of dementia care, and has overseen the development of an app that optimises the use of antipsychotic medications in people with dementia.

 

Quotes attributable to Dr Fei Sim:

“Kate has developed educational programs for health professionals focusing on improving understanding of dementia care, and overseen development of an online app to reduce unnecessary and dangerous use of antipsychotic medicines in people living with dementia. She is an impressive early career pharmacist.”

 

Richard Smirk, Pharmacist of the Year

 

Richard Smirk received the Pharmacist of the Year Award in recognition of decades of support to the profession and the community in Western Australia. Over many years, Richard has devoted countless hours of his time as regulator and governance leader to protect the community and foster the next generations of pharmacists.

 

Integral to the establishment of AHPRA in WA, Richard has also contributed to ongoing improvements to the processes for registration of pharmacists, examining intern pharmacists and framing the governance around the restructure of the Pharmaceutical Society of WA.

 

Richard has demonstrated his love of the pharmacy profession since he was a student. He was President of WAPSA in 1981 and Communications Officer for NAPSA in 1982. His great skill at communicating was also on display from 1998 to 2011 when he co-edited Rescript magazine for PSWA. Apart from his founding work when PSWA was redesigned, Richard also helped guide the establishment of AHPRA in this State.

 

Richard currently serves the profession as the Clinical Advisory Pharmacy at AHPRA in Perth as well as participating in the Australian Pharmacy Council’s Site Evaluation Team, to audit and re-accredit pharmacy university courses around Australia.

 

Quotes attributable to Dr Fei Sim:

“Richard has given so much to the profession since 1981 and has never asked for recognition or recompense. The enormous volume of work he has produced and his wide scope of practice deserves acknowledgement.”

 

“He has devoted so much of his time and energy to improving the processes around registration of pharmacists, examining intern pharmacists and framing the governance around the WAPSA’s restructure. We owe him a debt of gratitude.”

 

Professor Rhonda Clifford, Lifetime Achievement Award

Expertise in education and research

 

Professor Rhonda Clifford, was presented with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her ongoing contribution to the pharmacy profession and the community.

 

Prof Clifford, who has over 35 years’ experience in education and research both nationally and internationally, currently serves as Head of School (Allied Health) at University of Western Australia in Perth. She has encouraged and mentored pharmacists at all stages of their careers. She is dedicated to ensuring that vulnerable populations are key in her education and research pursuits – particularly aged care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

 

Prof Clifford has been pivotal in ensuring the APC National Education Standards provide certainty that intern pharmacists can deliver excellence in all aspects of medicine management. An example of this is the state-wide implementation of the My Medicines and Me Questionnaire (M3Q) to empower mental health consumers.

 

She has been Chief Investigator and project lead on many projects, such as Lactamap, a resource which provides support to doctors to provide lactation care to breastfeeding women around the world. She was awarded the Erik Kirk Memorial Award in 2016 and a Senior Fellowship in the internationally recognised Higher Education Academy in 2019.

 

Quotes attributable to Dr Fei Sim:

“As an internationally recognised educator, Professor Clifford has been pivotal in ensuring the APC National Education Standards provide certainty that graduate pharmacists can deliver excellence in all aspects of medication management”, said Dr Sim.

 

“She has worked tirelessly throughout her career to encourage and mentor pharmacy students and pharmacists to achieve their goals.”

 

Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Budget must fund pharmacists for aged care to end avoidable deaths

Now is the time for action on medicine management in aged care. PSA urges the government to fund pharmacists for aged care facilities in the upcoming 2021-22 Federal Budget.

 

Older Australians in residential aged care facilities continue to face significant threats to their health due to harm arising from misuse or mismanagement of their medications.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, said older Australians are paying the price with either their life or their quality of life.

 

“Twenty per cent of unplanned hospital admissions for aged care residents are a result of inappropriate medicine use. This is a game of Russian roulette, and unfortunately our older Australians are paying the price.”

 

“There is no denying that the current system is failing, and pharmacists are part of the solution. The government must act now, before it is too late for some of our aged care residents.”

 

“By embedding pharmacists is these facilities, we can safeguard residents from the harms medicines are causing and maximise their effectiveness in improving quality of life.”

 

“PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take Care report identified 98% of people living in aged care facilities have at least one medicine-related problem. This can no longer be tolerated”, A/Prof Freeman said.

 

Australia’s current service arrangements and limited available funding is grossly inadequate for pharmacists to deliver on the range of medicine and medication management services that could benefit the aged care sector, improve quality and safety, and minimise harm to residents.

 

PSA looks forward to learning of the outcomes of the upcoming budget and calls on the Government to recognise that that medicine-related harm in aged care is largely avoidable, by embedding pharmacists in residential aged care.

 

 

Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

PSA welcomes re-elected Tasmanian Government

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) congratulates the Tasmanian Liberal Party on their re-election in Tasmania.

 

PSA Tasmanian Branch President, Dr Ella van Tienen, congratulated Premier Gutwein and the party on their successful re-election, and said that the PSA is looking forward to continuing to work together to improve health outcomes for Tasmanians.

 

“Prior to and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PSA has worked with the Gutwein Government on a number of important measures to ensure pharmacists remained safe and patients could continue to access their medications.”

 

“We expect this strong relationship to continue.”

 

Dr van Tienen went on to say that PSA are also looking forward to working with the Tasmanian Government on their pre-election commitments.

 

“Implementation of the pre-election commitments by the Liberal Government will provide more opportunities for our pharmacists to improve the health and wellness of Tasmanians.”

 

“Pharmacists should be permitted to administer vaccines under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), as is already the case in other states and territories like Victoria, the ACT, WA, and most recently NSW.”

 

“PSA also welcomes the scope of practice review that will be undertaken to explore further opportunities for pharmacists and ensure they can practice to their fullest potential.”

 

PSA will continue to advocate for the government to commit $300,000 to fund a collaborative pharmacist-prescribing pilot in aged care facilities, and to remove barriers to administering prescribed medicines by injection.

 

“A collaborative prescribing trial between general practitioners and pharmacists is necessary to reduce avoidable hospital admissions. Amendment of Tasmania’s Poisons Regulations 2018 allowing pharmacists to administer lawfully prescribed Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 medicines via injection, will improve the state’s management of patients with complex health conditions.”

 

Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Medicine Safety is a game of Russian roulette for older Australians

PSA remains deeply concerned by the findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, particularly in relation to medicine safety and the extensive use of sedatives in aged care facilities.

 

Older Australians in residential aged care continue to face significant threats to their health due to the harm arising from misuse and mismanagement of their medications.

 

“It is alarming that this issue – particularly the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medicines and the overuse of sedatives – has not improved over the past five years.” PSA National President A/Prof Chris Freeman said.

 

“This is a game of Russian roulette, and unfortunately our older Australians are paying the price.”

 

PSA has called on the Federal Government to improve medicine safety for older Australians by embedding pharmacists in aged care facilities nationwide and removing barriers to the provision of pharmacist services, safeguarding residents from harmful medicine use.

 

“Some of the stories heard by PSA are truly horrifying. The most heartbreaking aspect of this is that these problems are largely avoidable.” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

“Medicines are developed, prescribed and dispensed to support good health – and when used properly, have the potential to greatly improve quality of life. But when used incorrectly, they can cause more harm than good, and in the most devastating of circumstances, ultimately lead to death.”

 

“We need a stronger connection between health care and aged care, and pharmacists, as the custodians of medicine safety, can help bridge this divide.”

 

“PSA calls on the Federal Government to revise aged care funding instruments, investing $200 million over four years to support residential aged care facilities to directly engage pharmacists. Embedding pharmacists in aged care facilities will improve aged care medication management, ultimately reducing medicine-related harm amongst residents.”

 

The government must act by embedding pharmacists in residential aged care facilities, before it is too late for some of our aged care residents.”

 

Background
PSA’s reports, Medicine Safety: Take Care and Medicine Safety: Aged Care, found that:
• 98% of residents in a residential aged care facility have at least one medicine-related problem;
• Over half are exposed to at least one potentially inappropriate medicine;
• 6% were administered at least one potentially hazardous medicine combination;
• 50% of people with dementia are given medicines with anticholinergic properties, worsening confusion and other dementia symptoms;
• 20% of unplanned hospital admissions for aged care residents are due to inappropriate medicine use;
• Many of our aged care residents have faced dangerous and life-threatening drug interactions;
• Half of residents are taking medicines that cause sedation or confusion, with 20% taking antipsychotics and more than half are taking medicines for far too long;
• Between July 2000 and July 2013 there were 30 coronial investigations into medicine-related deaths in aged care facilities;
o In nine cases, deaths occurred due to administration errors – in four cases medication was given to the wrong person; and in four other cases, monitoring errors resulted in a failure to recognise the signs of toxicity.

 

Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Government must act to reduce harmful medicine use in aged care

PSA has called on the Federal Government to address medicine safety in residential aged care facilities in the upcoming Federal Budget.

 

The Government’s Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found that Australia is facing a critical problem with medicine mismanagement in aged care facilities.

 

There is no doubt that the absence of regular pharmacist services in aged care facilities is causing harm to older Australians. As custodians of medicine safety, pharmacists are here to keep people safe from medicine-related harm. When you don’t have the right level of investment in pharmacists, this is the outcome which results.

 

PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take Care and Medicine Safety: Aged Care reports found that, of those people living in aged care facilities:

 

• Over 95% have at least on problem with their medicines detected at the time of a medicines review; most have three problems;
• 6% were administered at least one potentially hazardous medicine combination;
• 50% of people with dementia are given medicines with anticholinergic properties, worsening confusion and other dementia symptoms;
• 20% of unplanned hospital admissions is due to inappropriate medicine use.

 

Pharmacists, with their unique expertise in medicines management, are ideally placed to identify and resolve these issues. Embedding pharmacists in residential aged care facilities will safeguard residents from the harms medicines are causing, by ensuring pharmacists are available to:

 

• Undertake medicines reviews;
• Support better clinical governance in medicine use;
• Educate, train and support the aged care workforce.

 

PSA National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman, said that the proposed action will ensure an improvement in medicine safety and optimal health outcomes for older Australians.

 

“The Morrison Government has already recognised medicine safety as a National Health Priority Area.”

 

“Now, they must act to address medicine safety in residential aged care facilities, in response to the Aged Care Royal Commission.”

 

“Residents in aged care facilities deserve to have timely and regular access to the expertise of a pharmacist if they require advice and support with their medicines and medicine management.”

 

“Embedding pharmacists in aged care facilities will improve aged care medication management, ultimately reducing medicine-related harm amongst residents.”

 

 

Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Pharmacist access to NIP needed nationwide

PSA welcomes major parties commitment to NIP

Keep ahead of the spread and get your flu jab by your local pharmacist

It’s that time of year again, with influenza looming large as the seasons change.

 

Whilst attention is currently centred on the COVID-19 virus, the danger of the influenza cannot be underestimated, nor understated. Influenza is dangerous and highly infectious, and potentially life-threatening to at-risk Australians.

 

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is encouraging people to heed the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s (ATAGI) advice to vaccinate against influenza annually.

 

Annual vaccination is necessary in providing the best protection for you and people you come in contact with, including family and friends. ATAGI stated that it’s not possible to predict what this flu season may look like, therefore, it’s imperative for Australian’s to keep ahead of the spread.

 

According to data from the Australian Immunisation Register, less than 40% of influenza vaccines have been administered compared with this time last year.

 

At present, community pharmacies across the country have full fridges of the influenza vaccine and pharmacists are ready to immunise Australians.

 

Pharmacists are the most accessible health care professionals in Australia. Ninety five percent of Australians in capital cities live within two kilometres of a community pharmacy and sixty five percent of Australians in rural Australia are the same.

 

PSA recommends booking vaccinations with your local pharmacist, noting that many pharmacies still accommodate walk-ins.

 

PSA National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman, stressed the importance of immunisation as the seasons change.

 

“Unlike the COVID-19 vaccine, supply is plentiful and there are no rollout phases. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come forward and receive their influenza vaccination.”

 

“Whilst you are waiting for your COVID-19 vaccine, there is still plenty everyone can do to support our community and protect Australia’s most vulnerable. One of the best ways is to get immunised against influenza, remembering we need 14 clear days between COVID 19 immunisation and other immunisations. So don’t forget about your flu shot!”

 

Media contact: PSA media 0487 922 176