Pharm must integrate
June 5, 2014
PHARMACY Guild of Australia
executive director David Quilty
has said pharmacy must have
greater integration with health and
community services systems.
Pharmacists needed to have
a thorough understanding
of local health care needs
and build mutually beneficial
relationships with other local
health professionals, Quilty wrote
in forefront, citing Pharmacy of the
Year Capital Chemist in Charnwood.
“Existing and potential funding
sources and programs need to be
explored and relevant local models
of care developed that clearly
identify the roles of each health
provider and the necessary referral
pathways.”
Organisations such as the Guild
and the Pharmaceutical Society
of Australia (PSA) needed to be
advocates for broadening the role
of pharmacists in integrated health
care, build partnerships to change
the thinking of policy makers and
funders and work with state and
federal governments, as well as the
broader community care sector.
“We need to be developing
mutually-beneficial partnerships
with the national and state bodies
that represent other health
professionals, particularly doctors.”
Australian Medical Association
(AMA) Council of General Practice
chair Dr Brian Morton said in
principle this was something
the AMA wanted to see but it
was important to recognise the
difference in scope of practice of
each field and not “chip away” at
things not in the appropriate scope.
Doctors and pharmacists should
work as a team with the GP as
leader due to their holistic training,
he said.
GPs almost always had
good relationships with local
pharmacists, with it being
important not to undermine the
therapeutic relationship between
pharmacist and patient, he said.
PSA national president Grant
Kardachi said it had long called for
the skills of pharmacists to be more
fully integrated and had developed
programs to facilitate this.
“PSA has made a number of
comments in the past about
working collaboratively to improve
the healthcare system and reduce
costs and we are in talks with the
AMA on a structure that would
enable pharmacists to work out of
GP clinics.”
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