COMMUNITY pharmacy's successful role in boosting influenza vaccine uptake highlights the potential benefits of empowering pharmacists to work to their full scope of practice, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Executive Director, Suzanne Greenwood, believes.
Responding to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) Disparities in potentially preventable hospitalisations across Australia 2012/13 to 2017/18 report released last week, which showed one in 15 hospitalisations could have been prevented if early health interventions had been made, Greenwood said allowing pharmacists to "offer the health services they are trained to provide" could alleviate pressure on the health system.
Writing in the Guild's fortnightly newsletter, she reiterated calls for all State and Territory Governments to provide pharmacists with access to National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded vaccinations.
"The report found vaccine-preventable pneumonia and influenza, and congestive cardiac failure accounted for the most days of hospital care," she said.
"Pharmacies across Australia can now administer the flu vaccinations and last year more than two million Australians chose their pharmacy to have their vaccination.
"Given the success of community pharmacists in bolstering vaccination rates, the Guild has called for the NIP to be extended to community pharmacies across the country -- where free vaccines are funded to those in 'at risk' groups like those over 65 or asthma sufferers.
"And we need to extend vaccinations beyond the flu. Already some jurisdictions allow pharmacists to vaccinate against measles and whooping cough but we need national consistency to ensure community immunity against these preventable diseases.
"The success of pharmacist vaccinations reinforces the benefits to the health of the community if community pharmacists are allowed to do what they are trained for.
"It is clear that every example of pharmacists being better able to operate to their scope of practice has demonstrable benefits for the health system and the patients of Australia.
"It's time to stop talking about utilising the great opportunities community pharmacists can provide and start acting on it."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Feb 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 13 Feb 20
