THIS year's National Pharmacy Award winners show exactly how far our profession has come and the positive impact it is having on our communities.
Across Australia, the state and territory winners show what is possible when pharmacists are supported to do more.
They are leading immunisation programs, taking part in clinical trials and providing additional patient directed services.
They are completing advanced clinical prescribing training, they are helping patients access care when and where they need it.
The new awards format recognises the best student pharmacists, community pharmacists and community pharmacies across Australia.
Each of the winners has brought something exceptional to community pharmacy and is providing the fullest range of services possible under current guidelines.
In the ACT, award-winning community pharmacies have helped develop pharmacist-led immunisation and clinical services, and have taken part in trials for conditions like UTIs and dermatology.
They are testing new ways of working, completing their training and helping to build safe and effective pathways for care, showing how community pharmacists can meet community needs with skill and compassion.
In Queensland, winners have shown how full scope can work on a larger scale.
Pharmacists are assessing, treating, and prescribing for common conditions, helping patients avoid long wait times for GP appointments.
They are setting an example of safe and confident practice.
What all these winners have in common is not just what they do, but how they do it.
Their work shows that full scope works best when it is patient-directed, professional, and backed by ongoing learning.
They are proving that community pharmacists are ready, and already stepping up to take on more responsibility in improving health in their communities.
As a prescribing community pharmacist, I am proud of the direction our profession is heading.
These award winners remind us that expanding scope is not just a policy change, it is a real transformation that is already making a meaningful difference for Australians.
The winners from every state and territory will compete for the National title at the National Pharmacy Awards, APP2026.
Professor Trent Twomey is the National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
This column is part of a series on various issues around expanded scope of practice - send your questions to scope@guild.org.au.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 08 Dec 25
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