PSA and the Morrison Government to work together to improve medicine safety

20 May 2019

 

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) today congratulates the re-elected Morrison Government and looks forward to working together to address medicine safety, negotiating the next Community Pharmacy Agreement and delivering better healthcare for all Australians.

 

PSA National President Dr Chris Freeman said pharmacists are among the most accessible health professionals, but they need to be better supported to practise to the full extent of their skills, expertise and training.

 

“PSA’s Pharmacists in 2023 report shows how an evolved healthcare system can empower pharmacists to provide more effective and efficient services. Prior to the election, PSA asked the Government to commit to several actions to make this possible.”

 

In response to pre-election commitment requests from the PSA, the Morrison Government made a number of important commitments to PSA and the pharmacy profession. Minister Hunt, on behalf of the Coalition stated “A re-elected Morrison Government will continue to support the pharmacy profession in meeting community health needs by ensuring that pharmacists are utilised to their full scope of practice”.

 

Importantly, the Morrison Government endorsed PSA’s Pharmacists in 2023 report. “The Morrison Government agrees with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s vision for the pharmacy profession outlined in the Pharmacists in 2023 report. This is in recognition that it will improve outcomes for patients, the profession and for Australia’s health system.”

 

PSA looks forward to progressing fair remuneration for pharmacists in recognition of their professional contribution in supporting people’s health – a key action from our Pharmacists in 2023 report.

 

“Pharmacists are underpaid noting their key role in healthcare. This needs to be addressed as we head into negotiations for the next Community Pharmacy Agreement,” Dr Freeman said.

 

PSA received a commitment from the Coalition to declare medicine safety a National Health Priority Area as requested by the PSA through our Federal Budget Submission and in response to PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take Care report which highlighted that $1.4 billion dollars is lost annually in our healthcare system because of safety issues associated with medicines.

 

In his response on behalf of the Coalition, The Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, stated that the Coalition will work through the Council of Australian Governments Health Council, with the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Healthcare, PSA and key stakeholders to support the initiation of this priority. This commitment highlights the pivotal role PSA will play in shaping the future of medicine safety in Australia.

 

We also welcome the Coalition’s announcement earlier this year that PSA will be a signatory to the 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA). As a signatory to 7CPA, PSA will work to preserve the accessibility of community pharmacy for the delivery of healthcare services such as vaccinations, medication management and minor illness care. We will also ensure that the 7CPA utilises pharmacists to their full scope of practice and has pharmacists delivering services tailored to community needs.

 

PSA will engage with the Government on aligning the incentives for pharmacists to support rural and remote communities with those of other health practitioners. Dr Freeman said that Australians living in rural and remote areas are more likely to have chronic conditions and poorer health outcomes than people in major cities.

 

“Pharmacists could play a much greater role in rural and remote areas, where they are often one of the only health providers. It’s only logical that the incentives for other health professionals should be available to pharmacists as well.

 

“All of these commitments, if fulfilled, will further unlock the potential of pharmacists and allow them to improve healthcare access and outcomes for Australians, and reduce variabilities in care.”

 

PSA offers its commiserations to the Labor Party on the election outcome and looks forward to continuing our constructive relationship with Catherine King and the Labor Party while they remain in Opposition.

 

“PSA looks forward to working closely with the Morrison Government and Minister Hunt, with whom we have an excellent working relationship, to make full use of pharmacists’ expertise and clinical training to improve access to care and medicine safety for all Australians,” Dr Freeman said.

 

Media contact:   
Carly Lusk
Public Affairs Officer
0487 922 176

Major parties commit to addressing medicine safety

May 15, 2019

 

The Coalition, Labor Party and the Greens have all responded to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) five election action items, ahead of the federal election – highlighting their support for the valuable role pharmacists play in our healthcare system.

 

Both the Coalition and the Greens have committed to declaring medicine safety a National Health Priority Area. Labor advised that the key role pharmacists play in the supply of medicines is reflected in their National Platform. Their Australian Health Reform Commission would no doubt highlight the issue of medicine safety and the need for investment in quality use of medicines.

 

PSA National President Dr Chris Freeman said this acknowledgement by the major parties is vital step forward in addressing the alarming issue of medicine-related harm.

 

“Medicine-related problems cause 250,000 hospital admissions and 400,000 emergency department presentations in Australia each year, costing the healthcare system $1.4 billion annually. At least half of this harm is avoidable, and pharmacists are the key to improving the safe and quality use of medicines,” Dr Freeman said.

 

Addressing medicine safety is the first of five commitments PSA has sought from an incoming Government:

 

1. Address the alarming rate of medicine-related harm in our health system by declaring medicine safety a National Health Priority Area (NHPA)
2. Provide funding to embed pharmacists within healthcare teams, particularly in residential aged care facilities
3. Accept the MBS Review Taskforce’s recommendations to allow pharmacists to access allied health items to provide medication management services to patients with complex care requirements
4. Align the incentives for pharmacists to support rural and remote communities with those of other rural and remote health practitioners
5. Include PSA as a signatory to the Community Pharmacy Agreement.

 

“To meet community health needs, we must ensure pharmacists can practise to their full potential, develop within a team of health professionals and have a quality agenda for the services and care they deliver,” Dr Freeman said.

 

“PSA looks forward to working closely with an incoming Government to empower pharmacists to do more to deliver better healthcare for all Australians.”

 

Responses from:

 

• The Coalition
• Labor Party
• The Greens

 

Media contact:
Carly Lusk
Public Affairs Officer
0487 922 176

New principles for pharmacists to deliver safer and high quality pharmacy services

Open Letter to Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

18 April 2019

 

I am writing to object to the egregious assertions made in the RACGP’s submission to the Pharmacy Board of Australia – ‘Pharmacist Prescribing’ and the public statements that your President, Dr Harry Nespolon, has made against pharmacists, our role in healthcare, and the future role of pharmacists with regard to Collaborative Prescribing.

 

The RACGP submission to the Pharmacy Board of Australia makes several unfounded and prejudiced statements in relation to pharmacists being able to prescribe.

 

Statements such as the “the provision of medical services by health professionals lacking the necessary medical training or registration is an inappropriate and unsustainable solution to address the health needs of Australians and that pharmacists simple do not have the healthcare training required to safely deliver healthcare services” are inflammatory, disrespectful and ignore the five years of university and clinical training undertaken by pharmacists, in addition to ongoing regulated continuing professional development similar to other health professionals.

 

Indeed, pharmacists have the greatest level of clinical training regarding medicines compared to any other health professional. Indisputably, pharmacists are the medicines experts.

 

The ageing population, increasing incidence of chronic disease, advances in medicines and health technologies, rising health care costs, evolving health service delivery models, and a need for a responsive health workforce are all factors which have contributed to health practitioners, other than medical practitioners, to be authorised to prescribe within their scope of practice. The RACGP should be well aware that Australia’s healthcare system rates poorly on access and equity, an issue Australian pharmacists are all too familiar with, given the rising out of pockets costs that are prevalent in accessing general practice and general practitioners.

 

These factors, in addition to the alarming incidence of medication-related harm, the availability and access to pharmacist care and our medicines’ expertise all add to the need for pharmacists to be able to do more in our health system, including prescribing, just as dentists, midwives, nurse practitioners, optometrists and podiatrists are able to in Australia.

 

We must recognise and acknowledge that pharmacists already prescribe medicines. As much as the RACGP might like to rewrite history, and to dismiss the vital role that pharmacists in the community play, consumers and pharmacists know that the care that they deliver benefits patients and our healthcare system. Pharmacists already make clinical assessment and diagnoses within their scope of practice and prescribe lower-risk medicines. The Pharmacist Only Medicines schedule, which allows a pharmacist to assess the clinical needs of the patient, make an assessment, communicate and discuss that assessment with the patient and allows them (based on the risk of the medicine) to supply that medicine as well. In this context based on the risk profile of the medicine, pharmacists do both – prescribe and dispense. This vital primary care function of triage and referral, may result in the pharmacist referring the patient to a General Practitioner for additional assessment, without the provision of a medication and with no out of pocket expense to the patient.

 

The PSA has been very clear about the separation of prescribing and dispensing functions according to the risk profile of the medicine. In addition, we believe that where the independent decision is made to initiate a schedule four or eight medicine, that this should be separated from the dispensing activity. Within a collaborative prescribing agreement between a pharmacist and a general practitioner that the pharmacist, pharmacists should be able to adjust the doses of prescribed medicines to reach treatment targets, to extend the life of a prescription and to order any necessary tests to monitor the safety of the medicine. This role should be able to be performed across sectors, within the hospital, within general practice and importantly because of the accessibility of community pharmacists, within community pharmacy – but again, within a collaborative care agreement.

 

The outrageous statement “that patients will be exposed to unnecessary risk, including increased incidences of medication misadventure” disregards the fact that there is already an enormous issue around medication-related harm in Australia, many of these medicines prescribed by general practitioners.

 

PSA’s report Medicine Safety: Take Care 2019 revealed the enormity of the issue of medication-related harm and its cost to our economy. The report found there were 250,000 hospital submissions annually as a result of medication-related problems with an additional 400,000 presentations to emergency departments due to medicine misuse costing $1.4 billion annually.

 

Three in five hospital discharge summaries, where pharmacists were not involved in their preparation, had at least one medication error and over 90 per cent of patients have at least one medication-related problem post-discharge from hospital.

 

The evidence is clear, pharmacists have significant potential to reduce the number of medication-related hospital admission and adverse medication events in Australia but are prevented from doing so due to barriers in fulfilling our scope of practice. As experts in medicines, pharmacists can identify medicines that are causing harm and reduce adverse events through monitoring, frequency of patient contact, and through our expertise and knowledge of how medicines interact.

 

RACGP’s statement that “the business needs of a pharmacy may be prioritised over the needs of patients” blatantly disregards the fact that GPs themselves work in a business that provides services that have their own potential conflicts of interests. All health professionals are subject to professional standards codes and guidelines which demand health professionals place the health and welfare of patients ahead of any other interest. In this context pharmacists are no different to general practitioners.

 

PSA has stated that clear risk frameworks would need to be put in place for any model for pharmacists’ prescribing to avoid business needs being prioritised over patients. Pharmacists should not be considered any different in the provision of health services to other health professionals.

 

PSA has argued that collaborative prescribing should be designed so that the pharmacist and the medical practitioner support each other. They are complementary roles that would be designed to actually address the safety concerns of patients in an already fragmented care system. PSA believes pharmacists, medical practitioners, other allied health professionals and consumers should all work together as part of a wider health care team for the benefit of patients.

 

Pharmacists have long identified and referred patients to doctors to help manage chronic disease and believe that any future collaborative prescribing model would strengthen and enhance these partnerships.

 

It is essential that all health professionals work together for the benefit of patients as part of health team and PSA is disappointed that RACGP has chosen to diminish the role of pharmacists and their role as a trusted, patient-focused health care professional rather than work together towards fostering relationships and models of care that will greater benefit all Australians.

 

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Chris Freeman

National President

Pharmacist-administered vaccination age lowered in the Australian Capital Territory

Pharmacists will be able to protect more Canberrans against vaccine-preventable diseases, ACT Health announced today in a move welcomed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

Pharmacists will be able to vaccinate more people following ACT Health’s announcement to lower the minimum age of pharmacist-administered vaccinations to 16 years.

 

ACT PSA Branch President, Renae Beardmore, congratulated ACT Health for allowing pharmacists to vaccinate more Canberrans.

 

“Allowing trained pharmacists to administer vaccines will significantly increase the immunisation rates within the community and reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

“The administration of vaccines by pharmacists complements the excellent work done by GPs, nurses, Indigenous Health Workers and other healthcare professionals. This change will increase immunisation and positively impact people’s health in the ACT.”

“As the peak body for pharmacists, PSA has advocated for many years to allow pharmacists to deliver more vaccinations to a wider range of patients and will continue to work closely with ACT Health to achieve this.”

 

Ms Beardmore commended Minister Fitzharris and ACT Health for making use of pharmacists’ expertise and training to better protect the community against vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

Media contact:   Michellé Mabille, Marketing and Communications Manager – 0487 922 176

Supporting collaborative prescribing to improve safe and effective use of medicines

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) supports collaborative prescribing of medicines by pharmacists to improve Australians’ access to safe and effective healthcare, in its response to the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s Public discussion paper on pharmacist prescribing.

 

PSA National President Dr Chris Freeman said PSA had advocated for collaborative pharmacist prescribing and recognised the work that had already been done to develop this role.

 

“PSA supports collaborative prescribing of medicines by pharmacists within a framework that allows them to practise to the full extent of their expertise,” Dr Freeman said.

 

“Pharmacists have more clinical training in medicines than any other health professional, they already perform clinical assessment and diagnosis within their scope of practice and prescribe other scheduled medicines. These activities are within the national competency framework for pharmacists.

 

“Prescribing Schedule 4 medicines is a logical next step and continuation of pharmacists’ role in medicines management.

 

“As stated in our Pharmacists in 2023 report, we are committed to enabling pharmacists to practise to their full scope by advocating for expanded roles and new opportunities in prescribing, consistent with their recognised competency framework.”

 

One of the actions for change outlined in Pharmacists in 2023 is to Facilitate pharmacist prescribing within a collaborative care model.

 

PSA surveyed pharmacists, interns and students to inform its response to the Pharmacy Board. Ninety-four per cent of respondents agreed pharmacists are already well placed to prescribe under a structured prescribing arrangement or under supervision.

 

The majority of respondents said they would prescribe under the proposed models, with 56% saying they planned to prescribe under a structured prescribing arrangement as soon as it was implemented.

 

In its submission to the Pharmacy Board, PSA outlined the core principles that must underpin pharmacist prescribing, including:

• Safety and wellbeing of the patient are fundamental priorities
• Patients are supported to receive patient-centred care in a timely manner
• Pharmacist prescribers have professional accountability and responsibility to patients as well as other members of the healthcare team
• The pharmacist prescriber works as a member of a collaborative care team with shared responsibility and implements highest standards of communication with patients and other team members
• Separation of prescribing and dispensing functions in a risk based framework.

 

“PSA looks forward to working with the Pharmacy Board and the wider profession to support pharmacist prescribers by establishing training and recognition requirements, enabling legislative and regulatory change, and developing a framework for collaborative prescribing across practice settings,” Dr Freeman said.

 

Media contact:   Michellé Mabille, Marketing and Communications Manager – 0487 922 176

PSA calls for greater support for pharmacists to improve Australia’s health

Following the announcement of the date of this year’s Federal Election, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) looks forward to working with an incoming Government to support a healthier Australia by making better use of the pharmacist workforce.

 

PSA National President Dr Chris Freeman said Australia had a world-class healthcare system, but it faced many challenges and pharmacists were well placed to increase access to care and improve patient and medicine safety.

 

“PSA looks forward to working with an incoming Government to improve medicine safety for all Australians by empowering pharmacists to better meet the needs of the community,” Dr Freeman said.

 

“Our Pharmacists in 2023 report outlines 11 key actions to improve the health of all Australians through better access to care, medicine safety and use of pharmacists’ expertise.

 

“To meet community health needs, we must ensure pharmacists can practise to their full potential, develop within a team of health professionals and have a quality agenda for the services they deliver.

 

“The public want to see pharmacists’ knowledge, and skills being put to full use. We need to remove the structural and funding barriers that are holding pharmacists back. It’s simply a waste of precious healthcare resources if we don’t have our pharmacists practicing to their full potential. It’s a disservice to patients and to the entire community to not fully utilise a ready and waiting health workforce to improve care.”

 

PSA seeks the following commitments from an incoming Government:

 

• Address the alarming rate of medicine-related harm in our health system by declaring medicine safety a National Health Priority Area (NHPA).

“Medicine-related problems cause 250,000 hospital admissions and 400,000 emergency department presentations in Australia each year, costing the healthcare system $1.4 billion annually. At least half of this harm is avoidable,” Dr Freeman said.

“Pharmacists are the stewards of medicine safety. Their primary responsibility at all times is to ensure medicines are used safely and effectively.

“Declaring medicine safety as a NHPA will provide much-needed awareness and investment.”

 

• Provide funding to embed pharmacists within healthcare teams, particularly in residential aged care facilities.

“Ninety-eight percent of people living in residential aged care facilities are taking at least one potentially inappropriate medicine,” Dr Freeman said.

“Embedding pharmacists in residential care facilities reduces the use of and harm caused by psychotropic medicines, opioids and antibiotics. We would like to see pharmacists embedded in every residential care facility in the country.”

 

• Accept the MBS Review Taskforce’s recommendations to allow pharmacists to access allied health items to provide medication management services to patients with complex care requirements.

“While GPs can include pharmacists in healthcare teams, this rarely happens because pharmacists are excluded from the list of eligible allied health providers and are therefore restricted by the current funding structures to be part of healthcare teams,” Dr Freeman said.

“Accepting the MBS Review Taskforce’s recommendations as a first step, will make better use of existing MBS services by fully harnessing the knowledge, skill and accessibility of pharmacists.”

 

• Align the incentives for pharmacists to support rural and remote communities with those of other rural and remote health practitioners.

“The seven million Australians living in rural and remote areas are more likely to have chronic conditions and poorer health outcomes than people in major cities,” Dr Freeman said.

“Pharmacists could play a much greater role in rural and remote areas, where they are often the only health provider. It’s only logical that the incentives for other health professionals to go, to stay and to be educated in the bush, should be available to pharmacists as well.”

 

• Include PSA as a signatory to the Community Pharmacy Agreement.

PSA welcomes recent commitments by the Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt that PSA will be a signatory to the 7th Community Pharmacy Agreement and from Labor’s Shadow Health Minister Catherine King to “early and inclusive” negotiations for the 7CPA.

“PSA believes the need to preserve the accessibility of community pharmacy for the delivery of health care services such as vaccinations, medication management and minor illness care. For this reason, and as recommended by the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and regulation, PSA must be included as a signatory in the upcoming 7CPA.”

 

“Pharmacists are among the most accessible health professionals. Every day they use their clinical training to care for patients across the country,” Dr Freeman said.

“PSA looks forward to working with an incoming Government to empower pharmacists to do more to deliver better healthcare for all Australians.”

Pharmacist-administered vaccination age lowered in Queensland

Friday 5 April 2019

 

Pharmacists will be able to protect more Queenslanders against vaccine-preventable diseases, the Queensland Government announced today in a move welcomed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

Pharmacists will be able to vaccinate more people following the Queensland Government’s announcement to lower the minimum age of pharmacist-administered vaccinations to 16 years.

 

PSA Queensland Acting President Mr Chris Campbell congratulated the Government for allowing pharmacists to vaccinate more Queenslanders.

 

“Allowing trained pharmacists to administer vaccines will significantly increase the immunisation rates within the community and reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

“The administration of vaccines by pharmacists complements the excellent work done by GPs, nurses, Indigenous Health Workers and other immunisers. It increases the immunisation rate and has a positive effect on people’s health in Queensland.

 

“As the peak national body for pharmacists, PSA has advocated for many years to allow pharmacists to deliver more vaccinations to a wider age range of patients and for provision of pharmacist access to NIP stock. We will continue to work closely with the Queensland Government to achieve this.”

 

Pharmacists in Queensland have been instrumental in progressing pharmacist-administered vaccination services in Australia through the Queensland Pharmacists Immunisation Pilot (QPIP) in 2014.

 

Mr Campbell commended the Queensland Government for making use of pharmacists’ expertise and training to better protect the community against vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

Media contact:
Jarryd Luke
Senior Communications Officer
0487 922 176