SHPA input to 5CPA audit
September 6, 2013
The Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia has
proposed a “clear separation of
funding medicines and professional
pharmacist services,” as part of
its submission to the Australian
National Audit Office of the Fifth
Community Pharmacy Agreement.
The ANAO announced the audit
earlier this year (PD 28 May), saying
it wants to “assess the effectiveness
of the development and
administration of the 5CPA, and the
extent to which the Agreement has
met its objectives.”
The audit is currently at the
information gathering stage, with
stakeholders from across the
industry encouraged to provide
feedback for consideration.
SHPA president Sue Kirsa said the
society had compiled a detailed
contribution, and will also meet
with ANAO representatives.
The submission says that
separating medicine funding from
professional services “will improve
services offered to consumers,
reduce administrative costs,
allow pharmacists to focus on
providing professional services
and help ensure that consumers
will continue to have access to the
most frequently accessed primary
care service - their community
pharmacist”.
Kirsa said that SHPA supports the
need for a viable and sustainable
national network of community
pharmacists to provide appropriate
access for consumers to medicines
and professional pharmacy services
aligned with Australia’s National
Medicines Policy.
“We also support the view
that individual consumers and
the Australian community are
best served and protected by
pharmacy businesses being owned
and conducted by registered
pharmacists,” Kirsa said.
She said SHPA also supports
ongoing assistance to the rural
and remote sectors to ensure that
appropriate pharmacy services are
available to all Australians.
“Funding arrangements and
eligibility rules need to benefit
consumers by allowing pharmacy
services to follow the consumer
across different care settings, so
that the benefit of seamless care
may flow to individual consumers
as well as the whole health system.
“It is important to ensure that
‘unintended’ service gaps for
consumers are not created across
the continuum as a result of
location rules or funding models,”
Kirsa added.
The ANAO is due to table its
report in winter 2014.
MEANWHILE union group
Professional Pharmacists Australia
has encouraged all non-owner
pharmacists to contribute to the
ANAO 5CPA audit, which PPA
president Geoff March said “is the
most significant thing happening
with regard to the future of
community pharmacy”.
Confidential contributions to the
audit can be submitted online by
CLICKING HERE.
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