Pharmacy united – almost
November 18, 2010
A NEWLY formed coalition of
pharmacy groups has pledged to
work together to provide input for
the government’s health reform
agenda - but the influential
Pharmacy Guild of Australia has so
far declined to take part.
The Pharmacist Coalition for
Health Reform (PCHR) comprises
the Society of Hospital Pharmacists
of Australia (SHPA), the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(PSA), the National Australian
Pharmacy Students’ Association
(NAPSA) and the Pharmacists’
Division of the Association of
Professional Engineers, Scientists
and Managers Australia (APESMA).
The PHCR partners said they
have already met with the office of
Health Minister Nicola Roxon and
the Australian General Practice
Network, with further discussions
planned for the coming weeks.
The group has made a joint
submission on the proposed
Medicare Locals, urging that they
should include “salaried/sessional/
funded pharmacists on the staff” to
work alongside GPs, practice nurses
and other health professionals on
chronic disease management.
Similarly the government’s
proposed Local Hospital Networks
should have pharmacist positions
funded to “provide outreach,
medication liaison and continuum
of care services to prevent hospital
re-admission...and integrated care
in the community.”
The PHCR has urged that
pharmacists should be part of the
consultation and feedback on all
health initiatives including input to
national lead clinician groups, input
to national guiding principles
development, national quality and
safety indicators and input to
preventative/primary health care to
address the under utilisation of the
profession.
The coalition, which claims to
represent more than 20,000
individual pharmacists employed
right across the health system, has
pointed out that services under the
recently finalised Fifth Community
Pharmacy Agreement (CPA) will
not be available through Medicare
Locals, Local Hospital Networks or
Section 94 pharmacy services.
“The CPA is only a partial step in
pharmacists contributing to
improving health care capacity and
reducing hospital admissions,” said
SHPA ceo Yvonne Allinson.
“Pharmacists want to use their
unique knowledge of the safe and
effective use of medicines and the
impact on disease management.”
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