THE relationship between the Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW, NSW Health and the Pharmacy Council of NSW needs an overhaul, a member of the Guild's NSW Branch Committee believes.
Concerns about the Pharmacy Council's approach to regulating community pharmacy were raised by Guild NSW Branch Vice President, Paul Jones, earlier this week (PD 08 Feb) after a number of "well regarded pharmacy owners" were subjected to conditions on their practice by the Council.
Former NSW Guild Branch President, Rick Samimi, told Pharmacy Daily, that there was a need for the Guild and Council to return to the table "in a much more cooperative frame of mind".
"The Pharmacy Council's role is to manage complaints and the legal performance of the practitioners," he said.
"So the way the Pharmacy Council is looking at it is if it doesn't address complaints and anecdotal evidence of misperformance then the Pharmacy Council isn't doing its job.
"That's the side pharmacists have to understand and comprehend, and in order for us to do that we need the next branch committee of the NSW Guild to start reengaging with the Pharmacy Council and NSW Health, and there has to be education.
"Education in terms of practitioners - employees and employers in community pharmacies must be re-educated about their legal and ethical obligations, and that has to come from the Pharmacy Council and the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
"And in return, the Pharmacy Council needs to have more practising community pharmacists as its members so the point-of-view of the dynamics of the practice of community pharmacy is better represented."
Samimi added that pharmacy schools also have a role to play in reinforcing professional obligations to students as they are completing their training.
"I'm sure they do it," he said.
"But they have to be reemphasised again [before graduates start their intern training]."
Samimi is a candidate for one of three Vice President positions on the Guild NSW Branch Committee, alongside, Mario Barone, John Black, Catherine Bronger, Judith Plunkett and Adele Tahan.
He has also nominated to represent the Branch on the Guild National Council, with Barone, Bronger, Plunkett and Tahan also running for two positions.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Feb 21
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