August 9, 2015
PSA honours outstanding NSW pharmacists
The NSW Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has recognised three of its members for their outstanding achievements in the profession.
At a ceremony held during the recent PSA15 in Sydney, awards in the following categories were announced:
- NSW Lifetime Achievement – Chris Piggott
- NSW Young Pharmacist of the Year – Catherine Bronger
- NSW Pharmacist of the Year – Tabitha Jones
Lifetime achievement award recipient Chris Piggott has been a tireless promoter of pharmacy for more than 50 years and has demonstrated consistent professional leadership through his role in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley Pharmacists’ Association, and as a business owner in the region.
He also was a leading driver behind the establishment of the Master of Pharmacy Program at the University of Newcastle, where he continues to teach Pharmacy Management.
Young Pharmacist of the Year Catherine Bronger has achieved success in both commercial and professional aspects of community pharmacy and her outstanding business acumen and service focus marks her as an innovative role model for future industry leaders.
Ms Bronger’s leadership offers a pathway for pharmacists to advance their practice from being product-driven to becoming more customer-oriented.
Pharmacist of the Year Tabitha Jones completed her Bachelor of Pharmacy with honours at CSU Wagga Wagga and has been an inspirational advocate for pharmacy in regional NSW, initially working in hospital pharmacy then moving to community pharmacy.
She gained accreditation to perform medication reviews early in her career, and went on to become a facilitator and educator with the Central West Division of General Practice and Community Liaison Officer with the Western NSW Medicare Local, where she is currently the Integration Project Officer.
In this role she looks to embed existing professional pharmacy services into patient care pathways, understand the challenges of current models of care and break down the barriers for pharmacists to be part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team.
August 4, 2015
Importance of patient consent under spotlight
With pharmacists’ roles expanding into more diverse areas of patient care, the issue of patient consent is coming to the fore.
In the August issue of Australian Pharmacist, legal columnist Dr Laetitia Hattingh from Curtin University discusses the importance of obtaining legally valid consent from patients.
Dr Hattingh writes that pharmacists must ensure consent is obtained before undertaking activities such as medication reviews, carrying out any diagnostic or assessment procedures such as taking blood pressure, bone density screening, blood sugar and cholesterol monitoring and administering vaccinations.
“All adults of sound mind have the legal authority to either consent or refuse treatment or healthcare interventions. The principle of patient autonomy is embedded in the Pharmacy Board of Australia Code of Conduct for Pharmacists,” Dr Hattingh writes.
Also in the August issue of Australian Pharmacist the cover story, Forging team health – creating a new game, examines the roles non-dispensing pharmacist can and do undertake in collaboration with GPs and allied health practitioners, including community pharmacists.
Already at least 26 pharmacists are working collaboratively with doctors and allied health professionals in GP practices.
NSW pharmacist Alice Nugent who works with GP practices in western NSW told Australian Pharmacist:
“In the surgeries I do a lot of gap filling. If there’s no diabetes educator there then I might pick up some of the extra diabetes education work, and if there is no asthma educator there I lug around my bag with all my different puffers and things and adopt an asthma educator role.”
Ms Nugent sees her role as complementing the community pharmacy.
“Rather than pinching business from them I’m helping them,” she said.
PSA Board member and GP practice pharmacist Dr Chris Freeman agrees with Ms Nugent about practice pharmacists filling gaps and told Australian Pharmacist:
“That’s an important point. We are not duplicating services. We are value adding.”
“We need to start thinking about how we can mould this model so that we can start to mentor and supervise pharmacists post registration in gaining skills and abilities in this area so that when they do go out and practice on their own in this environment they have the ability to do so,” Dr Freeman said.
August 2, 2015
PSA unveils Health Destination Pharmacy (HDP) program
PSA’s Health Destination Pharmacy (HDP) program, a coaching and development program to help pharmacies deliver financially viable health services, was unveiled today at PSA15.
PSA’s HDP program is evidence-based with proven results, is backed by industry leaders, and is delivered by Australia’s most experienced experts in pharmacy change.
National President of the PSA, Joe Demarte, said the program was a financially viable and sustainable change platform for pharmacies.
“Importantly, it is a key strategy of the PSA vision for excellence in pharmacist care,” Mr Demarte said.
Mr Demarte said the HDP program assisted pharmacies to transition from reliance on a price-focused, discount model to a consumer-focused model – one that was adaptive to local community needs and demographics.
“It is a program that is evidence based, allowing pharmacies to experience high levels of patient loyalty, pharmacists’ satisfaction, and financial sustainability less reliant on government funding,” he said.
“HDP acknowledges that change is sometimes difficult, and our program uses a change model that is tried and tested to support pharmacies through the transition to a consumer-focused and financially sustainable practice.
“The program uses an intense coaching model underpinned by evidence, targeting strategies in areas such as business and financial planning, people and processes, marketing, layout, and infrastructure.
“PSA is in a unique position to deliver this coaching expertise and network, whilst working with experts in implementation, business processes and financial management. HDP is the complete solution for pharmacies to support health-focussed changes to their pharmacies. It provides the foundation for professional and financial success.
“It is informed, endorsed, and supported by the leading experts in pharmacy business practices. It brings together the best of the best,” Mr Demarte said.
To progress the implementation phase, PSA has teamed-up with those organisations with a shared interest in excellence in pharmacists’ care and wish to see a more viable community pharmacy sector.
This partnership is unprecedented and reflects the confidence the industry has in the project and its outcomes.
The partners are Pfizer Australia, Bayer, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), Johnson & Johnson, Blackmores, Willach Australia, NAB Health and Danone Nutricia.
Representatives of these companies are members of the advisory group that also includes experts Professor Charlie Benrimoj from the University of Technology Sydney, Bruce Annabel from JR Pharmacy Services and Glenn Guilfoyle from The Next Level.