ADVANCED Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has welcomed Tasmania's nation-first pilot allowing pharmacists to prescribe medicines in aged care settings, announced as part of the state's $5 million investment in pharmacist prescribing expansion (PD 19 May).
AdPha President Tom Simpson praised the announcement as a leap forward for safer and more efficient medicines management in aged care.
"This is a game-changer for aged care," Simpson said.
"Pharmacist-led collaborative prescribing has been pioneered in hospitals by AdPha members for over a decade - now we're seeing that model extended to where it's urgently needed and where pharmacists work in new and emerging specialty roles.
"I commend Minister Roger Jaensch and his team for backing a model that delivers safer, faster access to essential medicines while freeing up stretched medical and nursing capacity."
Simpson noted that the initiative builds on more than 12 years of work by AdPha members to advance collaborative prescribing models in hospitals - work that has earned both national recognition and increased adoption across Australian jurisdictions.
"Tasmania was one of the early adopters of this approach," he pointed out.
"It's fantastic to see the state leading again by expanding pharmacist co-prescribing into aged care - one of the most complex and underserved areas of healthcare.
"This is a smart, strategic investment that will deliver better outcomes for older Tasmanians, and we look forward to helping make it a national benchmark," Simpson concluded.
Expanded pharmacist scope is part of the '2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future', announced last week by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Roger Jaensch. KB
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