May 2015

Experienced pharmacist, ex business owner and consultant, Katharina Nicholson joins the Pharmacy Council as the new Professional Officer.Read more…

Pharmacy proprietors and pecuniary interest holders are reminded of the following important dates:

1 June 2015 – Due date for completed Annual Declarations.
30 June 2015 – Due date for payment of the Annual Renewal of Pharmacy Premises fee.

An Annual Declaration – Pecuniary Interest is the annual declaration that a holder of a pecuniary interest in a pharmacy business must make to the Council to disclose that interest on the Register of Pharmacies.

An Annual Renewal is the annual payment that a pharmacy must pay in order to maintain current approval of the Council and to remain on the Register of Pharmacies. Read more…

The Pharmacy Council recently received correspondence from a non pharmacist who was concerned to see thyroxine tablets packed in a Dose Administration Aid.(DAA) Read more…

The Health Practitioner (New South Wales) Regulation 2010 at Schedule 3 (in relation to pharmacy premises) and Schedule 4 (in relation to associated professional services room premises) lists publications, latest editions (including amendments) of which, are required by clauses 13 and 14 of the regulation, respectively, to be available at those premises. Read more…

Increasing numbers of complaints are coming to the Pharmacy Council on the curly subject of generic substitution. Consumers are complaining that they are given a generic product, either with no explanation or discussion, or with an explanation and discussion taking place at the point of prescription collection. Read more…

There have been complaints to the Pharmacy Council regarding the practice of some pharmacies asking patients if they are OK with a generic substitution after they have dispensed the medication, but before the patient pays for it. Read more…

Frequently during the course of our inspections of pharmacies we (the inspectors) see examples of inappropriate storage of Schedule 8 substances which are apparent breaches of the provisions of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods legislation. Read more…

In stage 1 of these proceedings the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) prosecuted complaints of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct which concerned contraventions of the relevant NSW Poisons legislation; the practitioner’s dispensing and management of anabolic steroids and other drugs capable of abuse by bodybuilders; and the supply of hypnotic sedatives. The particulars were largely admitted by the practitioner. The Tribunal found the complaints proven. Read more…

Complaints of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct based on contraventions of the NSW Poisons legislation over a period of two years were made against the practitioner and were admitted. At the relevant time the practitioner was a pharmacy owner. The relevant contraventions came to light after an investigation by the NSW Police Drug Squad and the Pharmaceutical Services Unit of NSW Health. Read more…