PSA to seek WA training program accreditation.
The Western Australia (WA) government has amended its Poisons regulations to allow a pharmacist to administer influzenza vaccinations without a prescription.
The government announced the change in its gazette, saying a pharmacist was authorised to sell or supply influenza virus vaccines without prescription, provided the vaccine was administered by the pharmacist and there was compliance with the Pharmacist Vaccination Code provisions.
Previously, a prescription was needed from a doctor or nurse practitioner for vaccination dispensation at a pharmacy.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) said pharmacists would need to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, have completed an accredited training program for pharmacist administration of vaccines, hold appropriate indemnity insurance for vaccination and hold a current qualification in first aid including CPR and anaphylaxis management.
PSA WA branch president Teresa Di Franco said the organisation would be seeking accreditation of its nationally accredited immunisation training program with the WA Department of Health, as individual jurisdictions had their own requirements over and above national accreditation.
The program had been successfully used in the Queensland Pharmacist Immunisation Pilot, she said.
The regulation changes were “a positive step forward in ensuring more Australians are immunised”, Di Franco said.
For more, see tomorrow’s Pharmacy Daily.
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