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The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) welcomes the Pharmacy Board's announcement to establish an endorsement for scheduled medicines for pharmacists.
This national endorsement aims to standardise the qualifications required for pharmacists who prescribe scheduled medicines, while respecting the authorisations set out in each state and territory’s medicines and poisons legislation.
APC Chief Executive Officer Bronwyn Clark described the initiative as a milestone for increasing accessibility for consumers and advancing workforce capability while emphasising the importance of safety in prescribing practices.
'APC’s role is to protect public safety. This endorsement helps ensure pharmacists who prescribe certain medicines have consistent, nationally recognised qualifications, while still following the rules set by each state and territory.
To support this important initiative, the APC has commenced a review of the Standards for Pharmacist Prescriber programs as requested by Health Ministers through the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
'Our accreditation standards and processes are critical for ensuring pharmacists are equipped with the education and competencies required to safely and effectively prescribe medicines under evolving legislative frameworks. National consistency in pharmacist prescribing will be underpinned by our work.
'We look forward to working with the Pharmacy Board and other stakeholders to ensure the standards reflect safe contemporary practice, support high standards in education and training, and ultimately improve access to healthcare for patients,' concluded Ms Clark.