The inaugural Pharmacy Groups Symposium held last month examined the main themes of full scope of pharmacy practice, Community Pharmacy Agreements, and workforce and the changing nature of a pharmacy degree.
The Pharmacy Groups Symposium recognised that over the past three years, more than $430 million had been removed from the first three years of the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA) due to inflationary pressures outstripping remuneration growth.
The symposium has affirmed its support for the Commonwealth Government’s commitment to lower the general patient co-pay from $42.50 to $30 from 1 January 2023. At a time of rising inflation and significant cost of living pressures, this was an important measure to ensure that individuals and families don’t go without their necessary medicines.
Critically, the Symposium also recognised that more needed to be done to lower the general patient co-pay further to $19 to ensure that more Australians could afford their medicines and the country returned to a truly universal health system. It found Australia remained a global outlier when it comes to the high level of co-payments paid by patients.
Focussing on the patient centred evolution of community pharmacy practice the Symposium affirmed its desire to see the professional programs included in the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement, remade in the form of short, standard and long consultations to assist pharmacists in better meeting the needs of their patients.
The Pharmacy Groups Symposium reaffirmed the need for medication management review services as part of core pharmacy services alongside dispensing, prescribing and administration. These services could only be fully and properly recognised and implemented for patients with a nationally consistent approach across all State and Territory jurisdictions. The North Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot was endorsed by the Pharmacy Groups Symposium as the minimum benchmark for scope of practice, by all pharmacists, in all pharmacies.
The Symposium discussed and agreed that in the best interests of patients and to ensure patients receive high quality primary health services when and where they need them most, that all pharmacists should and can become full scope of practice pharmacists. Pharmacists practicing to their full scope is a win for patients. All health professionals should practice to their full scope.
As the premier pharmacy group engagement event, the Pharmacy Groups Symposium hosted more than 100 representatives from across Australia, employing over 55,000 Australians across 4,500 locations.
Representatives were joined by academics, subject matter experts, key industry figures and the Hon Mark Butler MP, Commonwealth Minister for Health and Ageing and the Hon Chris Picton MP, South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing who spoke about the challenges and opportunities ahead for community pharmacy.
All Pharmacy Groups Symposium presenters and participants thanked community pharmacists for their outstanding efforts during the COVID pandemic and for their pharmacies remaining open and accessible for patients.
Attendees recognised the trust and respect that community pharmacists are held in and how they go above and beyond to assist patients on a daily basis.
