Pharmacists are the solution to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout!

Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to getting Australians vaccinated as quickly and conveniently as possible, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA).

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, is dismayed that pharmacist involvement in the rollout is still incredibly limited.

 

“Pharmacists are the most obvious solution to increasing accessibility to vaccinations. We already have a skilled, trusted, experienced, and easily accessible vaccinator workforce at governments’ disposal. And we already have established vaccination clinics in our shopping centres – the community pharmacy!

 

“Local pharmacists should be activated to alleviate pressure on vaccination hubs and to make it as easy and convenient as possible for Australians to get vaccinated. We need to utilise Australia’s full vaccinator workforce, including local pharmacists.

 

“Of Australia’s 5,800 pharmacies, only 65 pharmacies have actually been activated so far, with a further 300 to be activated by the end of July. This represents only 5% of pharmacies.

 

“In addition, the Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists – they have been fully trained for months and are sick of being sidelined,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

A/Prof Freeman went on to say that involving local pharmacists will encourage at-risk Australians to come forward and get vaccinated.

 

“Local pharmacists can target at-risk Australians, particularly the elderly who may be hesitant to commute to or queue at these hubs for extended periods of time. Local pharmacists can also reduce the rate of “no shows” by making it easier and more convenient to get vaccinated, and can reduce wastage by managing their appointments.

 

“Pharmacists are already vaccinating against COVID-19 in GP clinics, hubs, and remote and rural pharmacies, and have been administering influenza and other vaccines for many years.”

 

The Federal Government’s indemnity scheme already covers pharmacists administering COVID-19 and PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

It’s a start, but simply not enough

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes confirmation that community pharmacists in regional NSW will soon be able to participate in the vaccination strategy, but it is simply not enough.

 

Premier Berejiklian announced yesterday that only 22 community pharmacies across the state will commence vaccinating patients with the AstraZeneca vaccine from mid-July.

 

PSA has been working closely with the state government to secure pharmacist involvement in the strategy since the vaccines were made available in the country.

 

PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, said this is a start but not nearly enough.

 

“In the wake of Sydney’s most recent lockdowns, some NSW pharmacists will finally be able to help protect their communities by vaccinating against this deadly disease.

 

“Whilst this is a welcomed outcome for those in some regional NSW communities, it still misses the mark, especially during a time where Sydney is subjected to the longest lockdown we have seen in a year. Pharmacists should also be administering all available vaccines in order to reach a greater proportion of the population.

 

“We have been given every excuse for not being included in the rollout to date; from difficulties in administration to cold chain and supply issues – this can no longer be tolerated. This is not about funding, politics or protecting turf. This is a pandemic.

 

“We desperately need a patient-centric approach that puts the community first, but it is apparent that the NSW Government’s approach to the rollout does not support this.

 

“The reality is that Australia will not reach the 40 million administrations needed to fully vaccinate Australia’s adult population until late September 2022, therefore, access can no longer be restricted solely through GPs, respiratory clinics and vaccination hubs.

 

“We have expressed our concerns around the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the mass vaccination hubs, particularly during an outbreak. The announcement today of a positive case at one of the vaccination hubs reaffirms the importance of accessing these vaccines within your local community – whether that be through your local GP or pharmacist.

 

“Australia has been in a relatively good position, but as these outbreaks have shown, this position is incredibly precarious. The government cannot afford to squander the gift we have been given of being COVID-free these past months. We cannot afford to continue stalling the rollout – it will ultimately be at the expense of lives.

 

“The Government’s indemnity scheme now covers pharmacists administering COVID-19 vaccinations, so there are no more excuses – activate the full pharmacist workforce now!” Ms Felkai said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

This is not a turf war – this is a pandemic. It is time to unite our full vaccinator workforce.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is calling on all governments to urgently activate pharmacists across the nation to administer COVID-19 vaccines, in the wake of Australia’s most recent lockdowns.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman stressed the importance of involving the country’s most accessible healthcare workforce.

 

“Pharmacists are our most accessible healthcare workforce, and many pharmacists are already trained immunisers.

 

“Pharmacists are already administering COVID-19 vaccines in some community pharmacies in remote and rural areas, in vaccination hubs and in GP clinics around the country. But we have thousands of other community pharmacists who are ready and raring to go to help protect their communities.

 

“Ensuring as many Australians as possible can access vaccinations is critical if we are to keep ahead of this deadly disease. Allowing community pharmacists to vaccinate across Australia will massively increase ease and accessibility.

 

“Many regional and remote communities do not have access to health services via hospitals or local GP clinics. Given this, community pharmacists are ideally placed to support the rollout, with 97% of the population in capital cities living within 2.5km of their local community pharmacy, and 65% in regional areas.

 

“However, even in capital cities, we know that many are struggling to get appointments at vaccination hubs, with some queuing for hours. At a time when Australians are being encouraged to restrict their movements and avoid crowds, these long queues are very concerning.

 

“With pharmacists now also covered by the Government’s indemnity scheme, the solution is right under the Government’s nose. This is not about funding, politics, or protecting turf. This is a pandemic, and PSA’s interests lie in enabling pharmacists to support their patients and public health during this time.

 

“Governments need a patient-centric approach to put the community first.

 

“Pharmacists need to be activated now, so that as more supply becomes available, they are already on board and can be fully utilised to vaccinate in pharmacies alongside vaccinations occurring as part of the General Practice network and vaccination hubs,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

PSOTY award finalists announced

The state finalists for the 2021 Viatris Pharmacy Student of the Year (PSOTY) award have been selected, with the national final scheduled to take place at PSA’s national conference, PSA21.

 

Last night, students from across the country vied against their peers to demonstrate their professional capability, from clinical knowledge to counselling techniques. The winner of the national award will receive a travel prize for pharmacy-specific education to the value of $5,000.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, said that these awards provide pharmacy students with an opportunity to learn and grow as professionals.

 

“It is wonderful to see such a high quality of pharmacy students competing this year, and I congratulate all the state winners who will be competing in the national PSOTY final.

 

“The PSOTY award recognises some of the outstanding pharmacy students within the profession, and gives them platform to apply their skills and to be judged on them.

 

“These awards are a fantastic opportunity for students to further explore their role as future pharmacists, encouraging students to learn and grow as professionals by putting their clinical and communication skills to practice,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

State winners include:

ACT: Juliet Contreras (University of Canberra)
NSW: Stephanie Worden (University of Newcastle)
QLD: Zoe Robinson (Queensland University of Technology)
SA/NT: Dharshan Rasiah (University of South Australia)
TAS: Ashlee Shaw (University of Tasmania)
VIC: Alex Loric (Monash University)
WA: Allira Payne (University of Western Australia)

 

The NAPSA wildcard winner, Ma Christel Joyce Manuel (University of Western Australia), will also join the state winners at the national final.

 

During the national final, students will be tested with a real-life clinical situation, where a patient will present with signs and symptoms or a specific product request. Students are then required to use their clinical knowledge and emotional intelligence, to identify the most appropriate course of treatment and tailor their counselling skills to provide the most appropriate advice. A judging panel assesses all state finalists, subsequently selecting the national winner.

 

PSA extends thanks to the PSOTY award sponsor, Viatris, for their ongoing support and wishes all state finalists the best of luck at the national final.

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Medicine safety experts lay out the path to reducing harm caused by medicines in Australia

A consortium of Australia’s leading medicine safety experts has endorsed calls to turn the tide on unsafe medicine use and to better protect Australians against preventable harm caused by medicines.

 

In a new report released today, the consortium made consensus recommendations which will help shape Australia’s response to the declaration of medicine safety and quality use of medicines as Australia’s 10th National Health Priority Area.

 

With the long-awaited review of the National Medicines Policy starting next month, there is no better time to ensure medicines safety is front and centre of Australia’s National Medicines Policy.

The ten recommendations seek to mitigate preventable medicine-related harm through:

 

• Development of clear medicine safety targets, benchmarks and improved clinical governance in primary care and aged care

 

• Implementation of national medicine reporting systems to capture and respond to medicine errors, near misses, adverse reactions to medicines and health literacy gaps

 

• Fast-tracking of Australia’s digital health medicine safety initiatives.

 

The recommendations come off the back of last month’s NPS MedicineWise Symposium, hosted by NPS MedicineWise, where health and government leaders lamented the lack of good data on medicine errors and data on the patient impacts of those errors. The cost of medicine-related hospital admissions alone is estimated to cost the health system more than $1.4 billion each year.

 

The report and its consensus recommendations are an outcome of a collaborative project between consortium partners, which examined how to reduce the preventable harm caused by medicines in Australia.

 

Comprised of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF), Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA), NPS MedicineWise and academic partners Monash University and University of Sydney, the consortium is committed to working with government to help make medicine use in Australia safer.

 

“Medicine safety is a priority for everyone. Pharmacists, as medicine experts, stand ready with government to make these whole-of-health system changes which are needed to dramatically reduce medicine-related harm. The refresh of our National Medicines Policy presents an ideal opportunity to start this work,” PSA National President A/Professor Freeman said.

 

“Given the findings by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, it is critical that we focus our initial efforts in aged care and then quickly look to curbing harm from high-risk scenarios such as those prescribed antipsychotics, opioids, or sleeping tablets and those prescribed multiple inappropriate medicines.”

 

CHF CEO Leanne Wells said:

 

“Consumers have lived experience with their medicines, but our health system doesn’t capture this well. It is only by having good systems to hear, prioritise and respond to their experiences that we will reduce harm and shift to genuinely consumer-centred care.”

SHPA CEO Kristin Michaels said:

 

“On behalf of our members SHPA is a proud consortium partner and we reiterate the report’s focus on the person receiving care as the centre of the hard work to come to improve Medication Safety for all Australians.”

 

“Hospital pharmacists provide care at the crucial intersection of hospital and primary care, as do Geriatric Medicines Pharmacists in aged care, and we welcome the focus on higher-risk populations, which aligns with our Medication Safety Position Statement (2020) recommendations.”

 

“Our members are dedicated to evidence-based use of medicines and will be powerful drivers of the system change required to reduce medication-related harm, and improve the quality of life of Australians regardless of where and how they receive care.”

 

NPS MedicineWise CEO Adj A/Prof Steve Morris said:

 

“We need to cherish the ethos of quality use of medicines, and ensure that the core principle of primacy of the consumer is always upheld.”

 

“I would like to see all key stakeholders working in genuine partnership to support shared goals and achieve improved health outcomes for healthcare consumers through the safe and quality use of medicines. Key to this is a concept of quality use of medicine (QUM) stewardship, developing performance measures and prioritisation.”

 

Professor Carl Kirkpatrick from Monash University’s Centre for Medicine Use and Safety said:

 

“Medicine safety is a widespread national health challenge, particularly among vulnerable populations such as elderly Australians and those with chronic health conditions. Urgent action is needed to tackle pressing concerns such as polypharmacy, managing medication errors, transitions of care, and the mismanagement of medication regimens – this report is a much-needed launchpad to help inform the key changes needed to improve medicine safety and the quality use of medicines in Australia.”

 

Professor Andrew McLachlan Head of School and Dean from the Sydney Pharmacy School at the University of Sydney said:

 

“This landmark report, developed with input from across the sector, well and truly puts vulnerable people and their health at the centre of Australia’s medication safety agenda. The recommendations on much-needed system changes, and especially the urgent need to measure outcomes that matter, have the potential to transform quality use of medicines in this country and significantly reduce preventable medication-related harm.”

 

“We thank all consortium partners for their collaborative and good-faith approach in forming these consensus recommendations. We also thank all delegates who contributed to this report through their involvement in the kick-off stakeholder forum in December 2019,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

“Achieving medicine safety is focussed on one thing; reducing preventable harm caused by medicines. The time for continued action is now.”

 

The report can be found here.

 

Media contact:

 

PSA Media – Matthew Glasson 0487 922 176
CHF Media – Mark Metherell 0429 111 986
SHPA Media – Nick Sharp-Paul 0411 098 838
NPS MedicineWise Media – Matthew Harris 0419 618 365
Monash University Media – Kate Carthew 0438 674 814
University of Sydney Media – 02 8627 0246

 

Background

 

PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take care report (2019) revealed:

 

• over 250,000 Australians are admitted to hospital each year due to a problem with their medicines. An additional 400,000 Australians present to an emergency department each year due to a problem with their medicines

 

• this costs the health system alone over $1.4 billion, which is likely to be a significant underestimation. It also does not reflect costs of lost productivity or quality of life

 

• at least 50% of this harm is preventable

 

PSA’s Medicine Safety: Aged Care report (2020) revealed:

 

• 98% of people living in residential aged care have a problem with their medicines

 

• 50% of people with dementia are taking medicines with anticholinergic properties, which can worsen confusion and other symptoms of dementia.

 

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety interim report found:

 

• while 61% of residents are regularly taking psychotropic medicines, this is only clearly justified in about 10% of cases in which they are prescribed in residential aged care.

 

PSA’s Medicine Safety: Rural and remote care (2021) revealed:

 

• 1.3 million rural and remote Australians do not take their medicines at all or as intended adding an estimated $2.03 billion to our annual health care costs

PSA welcomes new Minister for Regional Health

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) warmly welcomes the Hon Dr David Gillespie MP as Minister for Regional Health, and extends its gratitude to the Hon Mark Coulton MP for his service in this portfolio.

 

PSA National President, A/Prof Chris Freeman, welcomed Dr Gillespie back to the portfolio and thanked Minister Coulton for his exceptional service to regional Australia.

 

“PSA congratulates Dr Gillespie on his appointment as Minister for Regional Health. His past experience in the portfolio, and as a clinician, will help drive innovation in the portfolio. PSA looks forward to working with him to improve health care and health outcomes for people in regional Australia.”

 

A/Prof Freeman went on to thank the outgoing Minister for his service.

 

“PSA acknowledges Minister Coulton’s contributions to our health system, and to the many communities in remote and rural Australia throughout his time in this portfolio – as well as his leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine rollout. We are pleased that he will remain an active member of Federal Parliament.”

 

PSA is committed to working with the government to tackle the challenges affecting the pharmacy profession in regional Australia including addressing pharmacist workforce challenges, and equipping pharmacists to play a greater role in tackling mental health in rural and remote communities.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

Palmer’s junk mail belongs in the bin

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is deeply disturbed by flyers that have been distributed to Australians this week.

 

Over recent days, Australians have been receiving mail from Clive Palmer, encouraging the public not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

A/Prof Chris Freeman, PSA National President, expressed his disgust over the material being distributed.

 

“Mr Palmer must feel quite foolish distributing this marketing material just as Australia’s largest city is on the brink of another COVID-19 outbreak. Never has there been a more inappropriate time to communicate such false and misleading messages.

 

“We are at a critical juncture in Australia’s fight against this deadly disease, and this propaganda is not only inappropriate but totally uneducated and ill-informed.

 

“This is quite literally ‘junk mail’, and I’d encourage all those who receive a flyer to recycle the paper immediately.

 

“The last person who I would be seeking medical advice from is Clive Palmer.

 

“We have two highly-effective vaccines in this country, and as they become more available, it is imperative that Australians protect themselves and those close to them by getting fully vaccinated with both doses.

 

“At present, we are trying to overcome vaccine hesitancy and complacency, this simply fuels superstition and delays achieving national immunity. I urge Australians who have concerns about receiving the vaccination to seek information from a trusted source – such as your local pharmacist or GP.

 

“As pharmacists are progressively brought on board across the country, the vaccination rollout will be expedited,” A/Prof Freeman said.

 

PSA remains dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists around the country are on standby to support the strategy where possible.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

NSW budget commits to improving safer, more supportive care

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes the NSW Government’s budget initiatives that will improve medicine safety and outcomes for patients across NSW.

 

Yesterday’s 2021-22 NSW Budget commits $37.3 million to the implementation of Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM), and $82.8 million over four years to bolster palliative care services across the state.

 

PSA has long advocated for a nationally consistent RTPM system across the country in order to reduce inappropriate medicine use and the harm it may cause. PSA NSW President, Chelsea Felkai, welcomed this commitment.

 

“RTPM will enable pharmacists to work with doctors to facilitate a patient-centred approach and will address the increase in harm resulting from inappropriate use of certain prescription medicines.

 

“We know that deaths from prescription medicines have outpaced deaths from illicit drugs in Australia, and RTPM has the potential to provide better oversight to patients prescribed with high-risk medications – reducing risk of death, overdose and dependence.”

 

PSA will work closely with the NSW government to support the effective implementation of the NSW SafeScript RTPM system.

 

PSA is also pleased to see the commitment to strengthening palliative care services. Embedding pharmacists in palliative care teams will enable timely access to core medicines, and will support end-of-life care for patients who choose to spend their last days of life in the community.

 

Despite these positive outcomes, Ms Felkai went on to say that the budget has missed the opportunity to utilise state pharmacists.

 

“Whilst there are many positive outcomes in the budget announcement, it has missed the opportunity to utilise the skills, expertise and accessibility of pharmacists to both support the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, and to help take pressure off our hospitals.

 

“This budget has significant investments in hospital upgrades, but misses the opportunity to reduce the financial impact and burden of non-urgent presentations on hospital emergency departments, which could be better managed in primary care settings.

 

“We know that 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 – and where required, can be referred to general practitioners.”

 

Ms Felkai also urged the government to activate community pharmacists as soon as possible across the state to help accelerate NSW’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

 

“We know that primary care providers are administering COVID-19 vaccinations at twice the rate of vaccination hubs, so we need to draw on the existing infrastructure and pharmacist vaccinator workforce to join our GP colleagues in getting the vaccine rolled out more efficiently.”

 

PSA is committed to working with the NSW Government to support the health and wellbeing of NSW residents and continues to advocate for optimal patient care and access to life-saving medications.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

NIP expansion to be considered in SA

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) welcomes the South Australian Government’s moves to improve access to government-funded influenza vaccines.

 

The Marshall Government has established an expert advisory group to assess the expansion of National Immunisation Program (NIP) flu vaccines for those aged over 65 years through community pharmacies.

 

PSA SA President, Robyn Johns, said that creating more opportunities for pharmacists will improve the health and wellness of South Australians.

 

“We are delighted that the Marshall Government has established the Community Pharmacy NIP Access Advisory Group and PSA has long advocated for national uniformity in allowing authorised pharmacist immunisers to access NIP-funded vaccines.”

 

“Allowing community pharmacist immunisers to provide NIP influenza vaccines will increase vaccination rates and herd immunity to influenza within the state, preventing death and hospitalisations in those aged over 65 years.”

 

“As it stands, community pharmacies cannot provide their patients with NIP-funded flu vaccines, and for people over the age of 65, NIP is the only way to access the best influenza vaccine for this population.”

 

“This is an incredibly frustrating experience for both patients and pharmacists and we are glad to see that the Marshall Government is taking a step in the right direction.”

 

“NIP-funded influenza vaccines can be administered by authorised pharmacists in the ACT, Victoria and Western Australia under certain conditions, with NSW the latest jurisdiction to approve this from the 2022 influenza season – it is also backed by the Tasmanian Government.”

 

“When it comes to government-funded vaccines, pharmacists are well aware of their obligation to inform and refer people who are eligible to a NIP provider, most often a GP, this includes those aged 65 years and over.”

 

“Pharmacists are a critical part of the vaccination workforce. It is time to align the funding and regulation of pharmacist-administered vaccinations with that of all other authorised immunisers.” Ms Johns said.

 

PSA will continue to work closely with the South Australian Government to improve accessibility to the seasonal influenza vaccine, ultimately improving access to vulnerable Australians.

 

PSA calls for all NIP-eligible patients with serious health conditions to be able to access NIP vaccines through community pharmacies.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463

South Australian community pharmacists to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccine rollout

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is pleased community pharmacists in regional SA will finally able to participate in the vaccination strategy, following Premier Marshall’s announcement that nearly 100 pharmacies will be activated in rural and remote South Australia this morning.

 

PSA has been working with the SA state government to secure pharmacist involvement in the COVID-19 roll out in recent months and is delighted with today’s announcement.

 

PSA continues to work with other state and territory governments and understands similar announcements in many other jurisdictions are imminent.

 

Robyn Johns, PSA SA Branch President, said that this is the outcome that many rural communities in SA have been waiting for.

 

“We are delighted that community pharmacists in regional SA will finally be able to play their part in protecting their communities against this dreadful disease.”

 

“PSA has been advocating for pharmacists in the community to join the pharmacists who are already contributing in hospitals and vaccination hubs.”

 

“As Australia’s most accessible healthcare workforce, bringing community pharmacists on-board will expedite completion of the rollout; protecting more people sooner.”

 

“With the recent changes to the storage requirements for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and evolution of health advice for priority populations, all vaccine providers – including community pharmacists – must be able to support all patients by administering the most appropriate vaccine for them.”

 

PSA is dedicated to supporting pharmacists in delivering the COVID-19 vaccine both safely and effectively to the public, and pharmacists in the remaining jurisdictions are on standby to support the strategy.

 

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Media contact: PSA media 0424 777 463