Forefront

Forefront is a monthly e-newsletter from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Subscription to Forefront is free and – while content is produced with Guild members in mind as the primary audience – open to anyone interested in news and current events relating to community pharmacy in Australia.

Just as community pharmacists are at the forefront of primary health care in the Australian community, Forefront aims to provide up-to-date, relevant and valuable content to subscribers.

Subscribers will receive monthly email summaries that link to more in-depth content on the Guild website. These summaries aim to provide a quick and convenient snapshot of news, which provides value to the reader even if they do not have time to view the expanded content.

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Forefront | 11 Jan 2023

Feature Article

Era of more affordable medicines

From the start of this month, millions of Australians getting prescriptions dispensed at their community pharmacy have been pleasantly surprised to see a substantial reduction in the price they pay for these medicines.

ACP complimentary offer for interns

Australasian College of Pharmacy President, Ms Michelle Bou-Samra, has announced that the college will support the education needs of intern pharmacists with complimentary accreditation training available to interns enrolled in the Guild Intern Training Program from 2023 onwards.

COVID-19 impact on pharmacies

COVID-19 triggered a dramatic decline in operations for many businesses, but pharmacies were not among them, a report in the US publication Pharmacy Times states.

New edition of National Medicines Policy

The second edition of Australia’s National Medicines Policy (NMP), which was first published in 2000, has now been released.

World Pharmacy Council Sector Analysis Report

The fifth annual World Pharmacy Council Sector Analysis Report provides an overview of community pharmacy practice, regulation, trends, opportunities, research and statistics focused primarily on the eight WPC member countries as at November 2022 – Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom and United States of America.

Early career pharmacist initiatives

A large number of initiatives contributing to global health and policy development have been implemented by groups of early career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists around the world, according to a paper published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.

Pharmacy roles tipped to expand

If 2023 promises anything for the healthcare industry, it’s increased complexity in decision-making around digital transformation and healthcare professional development — but in looking forward, patterns and paths are emerging.

Sports pharmacy practice

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has teamed up with colleagues from the International Sports Pharmacists Network to publish a global overview of sports pharmacy practice and education.

APP scope of practice sessions

As the pharmacy profession in Australia embraces pharmacists practising at full scope, it is no surprise that APP2023 will dedicate two sessions with guest international speaker Mark Burdon to address this key topic which will be held 23-26 March on the Gold Coast.

Finding the real ‘high’ number of medicinal cannabis users

Experts say figures from just three years ago showing almost three per cent of the population being treated with medical cannabis are likely to be much higher today.

World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day, which is held every 4th of February, is the global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

Forefront | 16 Dec 2022

Feature Article

Bringing out the best in us

This time last year when I sat down to write my editorial I, like everyone else, had high hopes that the pressures and demands of the COVID-19 era would soon be an event that we could put behind us. The past year has, however, shown that COVID-19 is something we all have to live with – in one form or another – both personally and professionally.

2023 Pharmacy of the Year finalists announced

The six finalists in the 2023 Pharmacy of the Year awards have been announced by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Top Guild award for Lieutenant General John Frewen

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s Distinguished Service Medallion has been awarded to Lieutenant General John Frewen in recognition of his achievements as Coordinator General of the National COVID Vaccine Taskforce, that resulted in the rescue of the vaccine rollout and the many Australian lives he and his team undoubtedly saved.

Bipartisan praise for Guild campaign

The Pharmacy Guild’s annual dinner, held in Parliament House Canberra, featured speeches by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, and the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton.

GP costs a concern for patients

More than half (53 per cent) of Australians cite cost concerns for GP medical appointments and are going less often, given the realities of the decline of bulk billing practices.

Support for scope of practice initiatives

Initiatives to allow pharmacists to perform a wide range of services within their scope of practice is welcomed and should be replicated across all jurisdictions in Australia, the Australian Patients Association (APA) says.

Assistant Minister to open Rural Pharmacy Forum  

The Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, the Hon Emma McBride MP, will officially open the Rural Pharmacy Forum as part of the Australian Pharmacy Professional (APP) Conference on the Gold Coast on 23 March 2023.

Holiday packages up for grabs at APP

Pharmacists, intern pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, retail managers, dispensary technicians and pharmacy students can enter to win a tropical holiday to Club Med Maldives when attending APP.

Intern of the Year (IOTY) Award nominations

Nominations are open for the 2022 MIMS/Guild Intern of the Year (IOTY) Award which recognises Guild interns who go above and beyond in their intern pharmacist role.

Prioritising informed consent

Community pharmacies are the cornerstone of Australia’s healthcare system and hundreds of thousands of people flock to pharmacies every day for lifesaving advice and services. It’s a huge responsibility, and one that is taken very seriously.

Non-communicable diseases tool

Regulators, ministries of health, policymakers and national pharmacy organisations are being encouraged to assess regulations in their country related to pharmacy-based care of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with a development tool available from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

Skin cancer prevention campaign

The Australian Government has announced a multi-million-dollar skin cancer prevention campaign – Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide.

Sore throat resources

A new resource has been released to aid community pharmacists in supporting people to manage sore throat.

Pagination

Page last updated on: 22 September 2023