ADVANCED Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has congratulated the re-elected Labor Party in Western Australia and called on Premier Roger Cook to commit to a statewide rollout of Partnered Pharmacist Medication Prescribing (PPMP).
With ambulance ramping emerging as an issue during the election campaign, AdPha President Tom Simpson said pharmacists are key to improving hospital bed flow efficiency and capacity.
"In other states, AdPha advocacy has led the roll-out of PPMP as a measure to ease pressure on hospital beds, as research shows this evidence-based prescribing model reduces medication errors and hospital length of stay," Simpson said.
AdPha is also pushing for a $67.7 million investment into strengthening the WA Health hospital pharmacy workforce, which it called for from both parties prior to the election (PD 13 Feb).
With the state's health system feeling the strain of a growing population, Simpson said investing in the hospital pharmacy workforce and expanding its scope of practice will give Western Australians better access to safe, high-quality care.
"The initiatives outlined in our election priorities will improve healthcare system efficiency," Simpson said.
"Pharmacists play a vital role in patient care, to help reduce the estimated 250,000 hospital admissions in Australia that are medication related, two-thirds of which are potentially preventable," he continued.
"Our funding proposal directly supports key recommendations from the Sustainable Health Review and key national policy priorities, ensuring a strong pipeline of skilled pharmacists through new intern, Pharmacist Resident and Pharmacist Registrar trainee and clinical educator positions."
Other winners, based on pre-election promises, are people with ADHD, who will be able to access care from specialist GPs instead of having to receive a diagnosis from a psychiatrist or paediatrician - a policy developed in collaboration with the RACGP (PD 17 Feb). KB
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 Mar 25
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 10 Mar 25
