Minister wants to get the most out of pharmacy
Ensuring pharmacists are empowered to work to their full scope of practice is a central part of the Federal Government’s vision of the health system, according to Minister for Health, Greg Hunt.
Speaking at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s annual conference in Sydney this morning, Hunt said the Government wanted “to see pharmacists practise to their full scope”.
“Pharmacists are highly trained health professionals, we should use their skills,” he said.
Hunt reiterated his commitment to having the PSA as a co-signatory to the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA) but noted that under the National Health Act, the Heads of Agreement and remuneration issues would be signed exclusively by the Government and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
However, he said the PSA would have a “critical part” in designing programs and an “important seat at the table”, throughout the 7CPA negotiations.
The Minister also hailed the success of the MedsCheck program, which was launched through the 6CPA’s professional services programs, saying it has delivered an average of $30,000 a year to individual pharmacies while providing improved outcomes for patients.
For more from PSA19 see Monday’s edition of Pharmacy Daily.
