Location rules revamped
September 27, 2011
HEALTH Minister Nicola Roxon this
morning announced major changes
to the pharmacy location rules, to
make the system “fairer and more
transparent” effective 18 October.
The changes, which have been
put in place following an
independent review of the rules
last year, in particular will help with
the establishment of new
pharmacies in areas of
demonstrated community need.
“Under these amendments, an
existing pharmacy approval is no
longer required before a new
pharmacy can be established in
facilities such as shopping centres,
large medical centres and private
hospitals - or in towns where there
is only one pharmacy,” she said.
Roxon confirmed that a range of
industry organisations had been
consulted about the changes,
including the Pharmacy Guild of
Australia.
“The changes will more closely
align the rules with the Australian
government’s national health
reforms,” she said, with the new
rules claimed to be easier to
interpret, along with a simpler test
for determining that there are a
sufficient number of people who
would use a new pharmacy.
There’s a revised Applicants
Handbook which outlines the new
arrangements, which convert five
relocation rules to new approval
rules - meaning existing pharmacy
approvals are no longer required
before a pharmacy is established in
‘facilities’ and one pharmacy towns.
The Short Distance, Long Distance
and Relocation to Urban Locality
location rules have been abolished
because they are “confusing, rarely
used or have served their purpose”.
The Large Medical Centre rule has
been amended to “better reflect
the need for pharmacy services in
emerging health care delivery
models,” while the PhARIA measure
of remoteness is no longer required
to be used.
Applications for new pharmacies
will continue to be lodged via
Medicare, with a new form
available on medicare.gov.au.
For more information see
Pharmacy Daily’s Pharmacy Guild
column on p2; full details of the
revisions are online at
www.health.gov.au/ACPA.
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