HEALTH Minister Mark Butler (pictured) said this week he wants to see all healthcare professionals including pharmacists working to the top of their scope of practice.
"At a time of skyrocketing demand for healthcare, and workforce shortages, it doesn't make sense not to have every single one of our healthcare professionals working to the top of their scope of practice, whether that's doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and others."
Butler remarked that he just doesn't see this happening in Australia, as "there are too many regulations, too many constraints within the MBS system, too many turf wars that constrain the ability of people who want to deliver their full range of skills and training."
Training, he reiterated, that was delivered by taxpayers to "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals.
"So, you know, I want to see out of this Strengthening Medicare process; a much more liberated ability for all healthcare professionals: doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, to be able to contribute to the need that we have out there to deliver world-class healthcare to Australian patients.
"That's not going to be easy.
"But I sense a level of consensus around that, lifting that ability for other healthcare professionals to use their skills and training than I've ever seen before," Butler said ahead of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce's report due to be out in the coming weeks outlining its recommendations for the future of primary care.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 25 Jan 23
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 25 Jan 23
