Pharmacy Daily | Butler, Pharmacy Guild at loggerheads

THE relationship between the Pharmacy Guild and Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has plumbed new lows, with Butler yesterday comprehensively debunking Guild claims 60-day dispensing is likely to lead to aged care residents paying $800 a year extra for dose administration aids (PD 07 Aug).

A visibly angry Butler spoke to media in Canberra, saying that since announcing the move "we've seen some pretty desperate scare campaigns from the pharmacy lobby", slamming the Guild's aged care claims as "self-serving, cynical [and] complete rubbish".

He noted that aged care facilities are funded to take responsibility for medication management for their residents, and that while in some cases this is outsourced to local community pharmacies, DAAs are the responsibility of the facilities themselves, rather than pharmacies.

"This is an absolutely new, awful low for the pharmacy lobby to try to scare older people and their families that they might have to pay a fee that, frankly, is the responsibility of the facility," he said.

The press conference followed Butler's surprise announcement that he was bringing forward negotiations for an eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA), to be finalised by 30 Jun 2024 (PD breaking news yesterday).

Butler noted that the Guild and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia will continue to be signatories to any new agreement - adding that consultations for the 8CPA "will include patient groups, medicines wholesalers and distributors, and others who have a stake in the growth and development of pharmacy services that benefit all Australians".

He also flagged an assessment of the current programs under the 7CPA "including how well it delivers for patients and consumers", while the negotiations will also "take note of the past findings and recommendations of reviews into the sector" - presumably including the outcomes of the controversial King Review which were rejected by former Coalition health minister Greg Hunt (PD 04 May 2018).

However, the Guild says the Government's decision to bring forward the 8CPA talks is an "admission of the damage its 60-day dispensing policy and its associated funding cuts are already inflicting on patient services, aged care residents and pharmacies".

In his press conference Butler conceded that "we need to deliver business certainty to pharmacies", with the Guild this morning releasing details of a new survey showing almost a quarter of community pharmacies had already reduced opening hours, while more than half had increased service fees.

Patient groups and the Pharmaceutical Society have joined with the Guild in urging a pause to the planned 01 Sep implementation of 60-day dispensing, with a possible Senate disallowance motion set to "provide more time for the Government to consult and get this policy right".