AMA seeks role in 7CPA talks

MOVES to expand the scope of pharmacists risk fragmen ng the primary care system and have the poten al to damage doctor/pa ent rela onships, Australian Medical Associa on (AMA) West Australia President, Dr Andrew Miller

(pictured) warns. Responding to Thu’s (PD 02 Aug) announcement that pharmacists have been approved to provide MMR, dTp and meningococcal vaccines to pa ents aged 16 and older, Miller told Pharmacy

Daily, the medical profession appreciates the work pharmacists do in coopera on with GPs at the coalface, but expressed concerns that cross-over in the roles performed by the two professions could lead to worse outcomes.

“GPs realise they do not set the scope for pharmacy,” he said.

“They do however, provide the diagnos c capability and work closely with, and are affected by, what pharmacists do, par cularly where that replicates work commonly done by GPs at the moment.

“If a lot of vaccina on is done in pharmacy it does eventually chip away at interven on opportuni es that GPs need.

“Talk of triage, diagnos cs, inves ga on and more in pharmacy means GPs are also thinking of how their prac ce might change, so they can avoid fragmenta on of care and worse outcomes.”

Miller said more interprofessional dialogue was needed to support the development of the general prac ce and pharmacy models.

“If we are to offer pa ents choice of primary health care givers, some doing similar things, then GPs will be wan ng to work with pharmacists in different ways in future,” he said.

“[Having a] close rela onship with a community pharmacy, employment of embedded pharmacists and dispensing of a range of Pharmaceu cal Benefits Scheme items and more from within a general prac ce are all op ons we will explore.

“Having a role in the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA) will be important for the medical profession given the more integrated nature of some of these proposals, and that is what we will be asking for, as well as the flexibility in those arrangements.

“This will allow new modes of pharmaceu cal and care delivery to the community, for the improved convenience and safety of pa ents.”