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Forefront

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.

Forefront | 09 Mar 2022

Feature Article

Celebrating women in our profession

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Recognising issues facing women

There is still a long way to go before women achieve full equality in Australia, but an increasing recognition of the issues they confront is at least providing us with a road map of how to proceed towards that goa

Cost of medicines hits hard

Community pharmacies across Australia have seen firsthand the impact of unaffordable medicines for their patients. They have assisted their communities through a global pandemic and understand their health concerns intimately.

Scope of practice a ‘solution’

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland Branch has presented evidence to the Queensland Parliament’s inquiry into the provision of primary, allied and private healthcare, aged care and NDIS care services and its impact on the Queensland public health system.

Report calls for expansion of pharmacy services

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Queensland Branch has welcomed the findings of a Queensland Government report calling for an expansion of primary healthcare services offered by community pharmacists.

Flood-affected pharmacies praised

The National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Trent Twomey, has praised community pharmacists and their staff affected by the floods in Queensland and NSW.

6m vaccinations through community pharmacy

The importance of community pharmacies providing protection for patients and communities against COVID-19 has been highlighted with the milestone of six million vaccinations being delivered through the sector having been reached.

Booster after getting COVID-19 important

The head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt, has urged community pharmacists to encourage patients who have had COVID-19 to get a booster shot.

Still time to register for APP

There is still time to register for this year’s APP, which is taking place from 24-27 March on the Gold Coast.

National Close the Gap Day

For more than a decade now, Australians from every corner of the country, in schools, businesses and community groups, have shown their support for Close the Gap by marking National Close the Gap Day.

First COVID-19 treatment listed

The announcement that the oral COVID-19 treatment, Lagevrio, has been listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has been welcomed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award nominations open

Pharmacy assistants across the nation are preparing for their time to shine with nominations for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia/Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award (PATY) now open.

Self-care support guidance

Guidance for pharmacists on supporting self-care in six areas — sore throat, gastrointestinal complaints, musculoskeletal pain, fever in children, sexual health and disinfection — is provided in a new handbook published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

Organ donation registrations rise

The rate of new registrations for organ donation has reached record levels, with 87 per cent year-on-year growth in Australians signing up as an organ donor.

Vaccine storage breakthrough

The World Health Organization estimates that at least 50 per cent of vaccines are wasted globally each year, with a lack of facilities and temperature control the major cause.

7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge

This week is World Glaucoma Week and Glaucoma Australia has launched its first 7 Sights in 7 Days Challenge encouraging Australians to share a photo of an amazing sight every day for seven days to raise funds to help end glaucoma blindness.

Iron deficiency: Could it be coeliac disease?

Coeliac Australia’s national health campaign, Coeliac Awareness Week 2022 (CAW 2022), this year is shining a ‘green’ light on the link between iron deficiency and coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a common cause of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia.

Forefront | 09 Feb 2022

Feature Article

Solution for a growing problem

Community pharmacists are increasingly concerned at the growing number of opioid-dependent patients in the community. These vulnerable patients need help and pharmacists can at times feel frustrated at not being able to do enough for them.

Concerns over rising medicine costs

Rising concerns over the cost of food and fuel are matched by community fears that the increasing costs of medicines are putting many out of reach for a lot of Australians.

Pharmacies deliver five million vaccinations against COVID-19

Pharmacy Guild National president, Professor Trent Twomey, has revealed community pharmacies across Australia have now delivered more than five million COVID-19 vaccinations.

JCU, Guild united in call on immunisation

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and James Cook University are united in helping to increase the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations across Queensland, with a new push to allow pharmacy students to assist with the vaccine rollout.

Always there, always committed, always caring

Australia Day saw a major campaign launched by the Pharmacy Guild to thank community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants across Australia for everything they have done over the past two years.

Vale Michael Beahan

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has acknowledged with sadness news of the death of the Hon Michael Beahan AM, former President of the Senate.

Investing in industry’s future

While community pharmacists across Australia work hard to meet unprecedented demand for COVID-19 vaccinations and rapid antigen tests, the industry continues to invest in its own future by delivering education resources for its next generation.

Wider role in reducing medication risks

A wider scope of practice for pharmacists in reducing medication risks and errors is reflected in a recently released update of the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FIP’s) 2020 publication Medicines use review: A toolkit for pharmacists.

APP’s Top 20

Each year, APP Chairman Kos Sclavos AM is asked to share his top APP program highlights – a difficult task given the calibre of sessions and speakers.

Women and heart disease

February is REDFEB, heart awareness month which, as well as encouraging people to wear red and donate, sees Heart Research Australia promoting new resources that highlight the differences in heart disease symptoms, prevention and management for men and women.

Teal Ribbon Day

Teal Ribbon Day will be held on 23rd February 2022 and aims to support Australians affected by ovarian cancer, honour those we have been lost to the disease, and also to raise awareness of this deadly disease to change the story for future generations.

Intern of the Year finalists

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has announced four talented finalists for the 2021 MIMS /Guild Intern of the Year Award.

Page last updated on: 22 September 2023