THE Victorian Pharmacy Authority (VPA) is set to gain greater flexibility to regulate the community pharmacy sector, under the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2021.
The legislation, currently before the State's Legislative Assembly, includes amendments to the Pharmacy Regulation Act 2010, to provide for a late lodgement period of 28 days after the annual 30 Jun deadline for applications to renew a pharmacy's licence to continue operating.
Under the proposed reform (Section 43A) a licence that is subject to a late application is taken to remain in force until the VPA has decided whether or not to review it.
The Bill states that the reform "is intended to provide additional flexibility to reduce the number of instances where the proprietor of the pharmacy and the VPA have the administrative burden of making or processing a new application which is more onerous than the renewal process".
The measure will mitigate against the possible loss of a pharmacy's Section 90 approval to provide benefits through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and ramifications to the owner's professional indemnity insurance.
An unspecified fee for late lodgement is intended to assist the VPA to manage the inconvenience of late renewal, while providing an incentive for licensees to meet the timeframes for renewal.
The proposed reforms are also set to enable the VPA to conduct virtual inspections, panel hearings and meetings, which are expected to help pharmacists to engage with the Authority when face-to-face meetings are not feasible.
The Bill also notes that the ability to attend VPA hearings virtually "means that the selection of panel members may be drawn from wider sources, thereby drawing on pharmacists with a greater range of experience".
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