HIGH costs and limited access to an adequate workforce in regional and remote areas could make working to full scope of practice an impossibility for many pharmacists, the Rural Pharmacy Network Australia (RPNA) warns.
While the group backed efforts by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) to push for better utilisation of pharmacists' skills, the RPNA said "for many pharmacies the fundamentals needed to embrace full scope of practice simply aren't in place".
"We've been told by rural pharmacy owners that their staffing has been so stretched for so long that they simply can't contemplate any new services, no matter how much they want to, and the more isolated they are the worse-off they are," an RPNA spokesperson said.
"For many, the welfare of their staff team is the main consideration, with levels of burnout rising steadily during the pandemic.
"A lot of these owners feel unsupported, particularly on the matter of rural workforce financial incentives, where community pharmacy still lags 20 years behind rural GPs.
"And yet we have some pharmacy leaders and groups pushing the line that those choosing not to participate are unmotivated and even implying some don't deserve to survive.
"Nothing could be further from the truth.
"For these pharmacies, the 'just do it' mantra that they hear from the big banner end of the profession is not just unhelpful, it's downright dangerous."
The RPNA warned the Australian pharmacy network was at risk of becoming a two-tier system, split between those with the capacity to practice to full scope and under-resourced stores.
The organisation welcomed Guild National President, Trent Twomey's comments that the Pharmacy Industry Award 2020 was "not fit for purpose" (PD 19 Aug), but warned "fixing the Award alone won't solve rural community pharmacy's problems".
"We need pharmacy remuneration that addresses health disadvantage and postcode inequity," the spokesperson said.
"[And] we need a properly funded Rural Pharmacist Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) that is at least comparable to the GP WIP.
"Without workforce incentive money rural pharmacies already struggling with higher labour costs, will be completely priced out of the jobs market."
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