Qld pharmacy public hearings today

PUBLIC hearings in the Queensland Parliamentary Inquiry into the establishment of a pharmacy council and transfer of pharmacy ownership kick off today, with key presenters including TerryWhite Chemmart ceo Anthony White; PSA national president Shane Jackson; Chemist Warehouse group commercial manager Damien Gance; Dr Lisa Nissen from the QUT School of Clinical Sciences; and Dr Stephen King, chair of the government’s 2017 Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation.

Queensland Pharmacy Guild branch president, Trent Twomey, issued a statement this morning saying the probe should highlight the need to allow pharmacists to treat minor ailments.

“With more demand than ever on our health system, an ageing population and rising chronic disease, Queensland’s 1,100 community pharmacists are ideally placed to meet that need,” he said.

Twomey said allowing Queensland pharmacists to utilise their full scope of practice would allow services such as wider delivery of dose administration aids to enhance medicine adherence, delivering a structured system of medicine reconciliation post-discharge, continued dispensing for stable long-term conditions, and supporting home delivery services.

The Guild branch president also urged a more transparent model of oversight and the establishment of an independent Pharmacy Council.