The Chair of the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP), George Tambassis, has announced the organisation is working towards no longer charging re-accreditation fees from 1 July this year.
The AACP is the credentialing organisation for professional pharmacy cognitive services. Its primary role is to develop and administer the assessment process leading to the accreditation of registered pharmacists.
It is jointly owned by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (the Guild).
The National President of the Pharmacy Guild, Trent Twomey, welcomed the decision and said the move would help to encourage more pharmacists to broaden their practice.
“This is a very positive development and one which I am confident will lead to more pharmacists being able to work to their full scope of practice,” Professor Twomey said.
“All pharmacists should be able to prescribe, dispense, administer and review as an integral part of their everyday practice and the removal of the fees is an incentive towards this aim.
“The re-accreditation fee removal will be an incentive which will no doubt encourage pharmacists to work to their full scope.
“I encourage all pharmacists to become accredited and take advantage of this proactive decision by AACP.
“This is an important step in achieving full scope of practice for the profession.”
The National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Chris Freeman, outlined the need to increase the accredited pharmacist workforce.
“There is no doubt that the removal of reaccreditation fees will reduce barriers to pharmacists remaining accredited,” A/Prof Freeman said.
“We know there will be increased demand for accredited pharmacists especially with the recent aged care funding announcement and now is the time to expand the workforce.
“Accredited pharmacists make up an important part of the pharmacy professions ecosystem, and medication management reviews are an evidence-based clinical service proven to enhance the safe and effective use of medicines.
“Quite simply, we need more accredited pharmacists and more medication reviews being done.”
