PSA24: Nation’s leading pharmacists awarded
2 August 2024
Photo: Josh Woning
Three outstanding Australian pharmacists have been recognised today by the national peak body for pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). The 2024 Excellence Awards were presented alongside award sponsor Symbion at PSA’s national conference, PSA24, in Sydney.
The recipients of the 2024 PSA Symbion Excellence Awards are:
- Dr Amy Page FPS, Pharmacist of the Year
- Peter Halstead FPS, Lifetime Achievement Award
Presenting the awards, PSA National President Associate Professor Fei Sim FPS congratulated the recipients.
“The PSA Excellence Awards acknowledge the pharmacists who go above and beyond, those who are involved in innovative practice, those who are striving to raise practice standards, and those who, through their professionalism, provide a model of practice which others strive to emulate,” Associate Professor Sim said.
“PSA congratulates Dr Amy Page as Pharmacist of the Year, recognising her clinical leadership in quality use of medicines, and her commitment and consistent volunteer work to raise the profile of the profession. Dr Page has dedicated her career to leading our profession, whether in her role as an academic at the University of Western Australia, as the inaugural Director of the Centre for Optimisation of Medicines, or serving on the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Dr Page is a deserving recipient of the 2024 Pharmacist of the Year title, embodying what it means to be a pharmacist every day of her career to date.
“Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Peter Halstead has made enormous and sustained contributions to the pharmacy profession, dedicating himself to developing and advancing Australian pharmacy practice. His work continues to influence our profession every day.
“On behalf of PSA and the pharmacy profession, congratulations to Dr Page, and Mr Halstead,” Associate Professor Sim concluded.
Symbion CEO Brett Barons also congratulated the award winners.
“Pharmacists are the backbone of Australia’s healthcare system and Symbion is proud to sponsor the PSA Excellence Awards for a 20th year and help celebrate those pharmacists making their mark on the industry,” Mr Barons said.
“On behalf of Symbion, I congratulate this year’s winners on their outstanding achievements and deserved recognition for their commitment to deliver the highest level of care to their communities.”
Media notes
Dr Amy Page is the Victorian President of the PSA and a practicing pharmacist with an impressive research output and sustained engagement with policy and regulation. She has had a sustained engagement with policy and regulation to progress non-medical prescribing and to improve the development and use of practice-based resources for the profession.
Dr Page was invited to lead the Pharmacy Board of Australia work on pharmacist prescribing in 2018. This work was the first time an AHPRA board had progressed non-medical prescribing since the formation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in 2010. She led the
consultation process undertaking extensive stakeholder engagement and producing written reports. This work resulted in a statement that no regulatory barrier existed for pharmacists to prescribe. As a direct result of this work, pharmacists prescribing has been introduced in multiple Australian states.
In 2023, pharmacist prescribing was launched in Victorian community pharmacies for certain conditions. As Victorian state PSA president, her substantial contribution to the working groups for the Victorian prescribing pilot informed its implementation. This has now led to community pharmacy prescribing pilots for urinary tract infections, oral contraception, skin conditions and travel health.
In her role on the Pharmacy Board of Australia, she initiated the development of the first Australian accreditation standards for non-medical prescribing. The Pharmacy Board appointed the Australian Pharmacy Council to develop Prescribing Standards for the profession. In recognition of her leadership, the Pharmacy Board appointed Amy as their representative to guide the development of these new national accreditation standards. Simultaneously, Amy also sat on the Expert Advisory Group to develop the new APC Medication Management Review and Aged Care standards.
Broadening her impact beyond the profession, she has progressed non-medical prescribing nationally. As a recognised expert in non-medical prescribing, she was involved in developing the NPS Prescribing Competencies. Over the past two years, she has been contributing to the Physiotherapy Board’s journey towards prescribing, thus broadening the impact of her work beyond the profession. She was one of four invited experts who presented to almost 1000 physiotherapists who attended their prescribing forum, work that is ongoing towards achieving autonomous prescribing. She is one of only two pharmacists on the Physiotherapy Prescribing Working Group convened jointly by the Australian Physiotherapy Association and the Physiotherapy Board of Australia. Further broadening her impact, Optometry Australia contracted her to write their Quality Use of Medicines guidelines in preparation for an anticipated expansion in their scope of prescribing to include oral medicines.
Dr Page contributes nationally to advancing pharmacy practice through her involvement in research, policy and regulation. She has brought about significant and lasting change in pharmacist prescribing and pharmacy practice standards through her research and her sustained engagement with professional organisations and regulators. Amy is established as a world leader in her research field of medicines safety and pharmacy practice. She’s been invited to give presentations internationally, including in China and the United Kingdom.
Her research has been used to justify policy changes (such as the National Aged Care Quality Indicators) and to assess the impact of policy change (e.g. polypharmacy prevalence). Her work has influenced guideline development internationally and beyond her field including being recommended by NPS MedicineWise, British Geriatric Society and NZ Safety and Quality Commission.
Dr Page has achieved this while continuing to practice clinically, currently working both in community pharmacy and undertaking medicines reviews.
Dr Page is awarded the 2024 PSA Pharmacist of the Year award.
Over his 40-year long career, Peter Halstead has made a sustained contribution to the pharmacy profession and associated organisations, dedicating himself to developing and advancing Australian pharmacy practice. Through these activities, Peter has made a significant contribution to patient care. He has been an advisor, mentor and friend to many members of our profession and epitomises the values of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
After graduating in 1980, Mr Halstead worked as a community pharmacist and was instrumental in developing new areas of practice and became a pharmacist adviser to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Drug and Alcohol Services and The Family Planning Unit at SHINE SA.
In 1996, Peter joined the School of Pharmacy as a research fellow involved with Professor Andy Gilbert and others in the development of new pharmacist roles, particularly in the area of Aged Care services.
In the period 2000 to 2001, Peter was the Education Officer of the Pharmacy Board of South Australia and from 2001 to 2010 he was the Registrar of the Board, a position which he held with distinction until the formation of the National Pharmacy Board. During his tenure, Peter developed and implemented systems and procedures that allowed the formal assessment of the competency of recent graduates and others seeking registration as pharmacists in South Australia.
Peter was a Director of the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) from 1996 to 2010 and since 2010 has been the Senior Pharmacist for the APC involved in the development of assessment processes for intern pharmacists as well as pharmacists from overseas seeking registration with the National Pharmacy Board. He actively supported many overseas pharmacists who were going through the formal process of seeking registration and became a mentor to many.
Peter was appointed as the General Manager of the Pharmacy Regulation Authority, South Australia (PRASA) in 2010, a position he held for 12 years until his recent retirement. During this period, he continued to engage with the Pharmacy Board of Australia on many issues affecting Australian pharmacy practice.
Mr Halstead is awarded the 2024 PSA Lifetime Achievement award.
Media contact: Georgia Clarke M: 0480 099 798 E: georgia.clarke@psa.org.a
