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Updated guidelines released on absence from work certificates

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia have released the updated Absence from Work Certificates Guidelines for Pharmacists to assist community pharmacists who provide this service for people in their community.

 

Originally developed by PSA and the Guild in 2008 and revised in 2011, the guidelines have been further updated to provide greater clarity and guidance for pharmacists.

 

The 2018 guidelines re-iterate that a pharmacist must define their own scope of practice as stipulated by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and consider issuing certificates within this scope of practice.

 

PSA National President Dr Shane Jackson said the updated guidelines provide further guidance on the framework pharmacists should work within when providing these certificates. “They offer pharmacists clarity on duration of document storage, number of days to issue certificates, and how to handle non-face-to-face requests for certificates,” Dr Jackson said.

 

The National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, George Tambassis, said: “More and more people in the community are becoming aware of the availability of absence from work certificates provided
by their local community pharmacist, so it is very timely that the guidelines have been updated so that pharmacists can refresh their understanding of the scope of this service.”

 

The guidelines feature updated terminology and references, as well as a sample information sheet about this service, highlighting that the responsibility lies with the employee to check with their employer about
accepting a certificate from a pharmacist.

 

-ENDS-

 

Media contact:

Jarryd Luke

Senior Communications Officer