Page 10 - Demo

NEWS
A&ground-breaking year
As the peak national body for pharmacists, PSA has achieved outstanding success and wins for pharmacists over the past 12 months.
To reflect on these pioneering achievements and preview the exciting year ahead, PSA’s Communications Officer Jarryd Luke enjoyed a one-on-one chat with PSA CEO Dr Lance Emerson.
exciting times ahead
Firstly, Dr Emerson can you summarise 2016 for PSA in a few sentences?
The past year has been a busy and successful time for PSA, especially after we were recognised by the Federal Government as the peak organisation for all registered pharmacists in Australia, no matter their area of practice, which is something we are very proud of.
PSA’s peak national body funding enables
us to continue to strongly advocate for pharmacists practising to their full scope, create new roles and opportunities, and help our members achieve their career goals.
PSA’s work with Government has
increased dramatically and we are actively participating in more government committees and advisory groups than ever, continuing to provide the evidence-based policy advice our peak status recognises.
That’s correct. We’re acutely aware
that pharmacist wages, particularly in community pharmacy, are stagnant and even declining in real terms in some areas. The latest statistics show gross profits per script peaked a few years ago – and we know that historically, as profits decrease, wages also fall.
The single funder PBS model in community pharmacy needs to be augmented through additional funding sources.
We are actively progressing new funding sources from the government, health
insurers and consumers, as well as helping pharmacies embrace a more value-driven, needs-based model.
Our first nationwide roadshow was a success, allowing us to engage with PSA members, non-members and healthcare leaders, especially in regional locations. Overall, we reached more than 1,000 pharmacists across the country, starting in Brisbane in February and finishing in Canberra a month later.
The roadshow also provided an ideal opportunity to update pharmacists on PSA’s policy and advocacy agenda and initiatives. We covered 15,000 kilometres and attracted many new members.
Following extensive research and testing, the launch of the Health Destination program was an exciting event for PSA and our industry partners who backed the program and formed its advisory group. The whole-of-business change program provides everything a pharmacy needs to transform into a health destination and increase engagement with the local community. We want to raise consumer awareness of the value that community pharmacies can deliver through professional services and tailored healthcare.
So far, around 30 pharmacies have signed up to the program and are performing more than three times better on key metrics than non-Health Destination pharmacies, according to independent research.
This is very encouraging because it shows that consumers value a healthcare model in pharmacies, and are willing to pay for this service.
As the Health Destination model is underpinned by a minor ailments service protocol, I believe that ultimately Health Destination will reduce hospitalisations and unnecessary emergency room and GP visits, which in turn will benefit Australia’s health system.
This Award was a testament to all the hard work that has gone into Health Destination – the research, piloting and industry support, it’s all been many, many years in the making.
We were delighted when the program won the International Pharmaceutical Federation’s (FIP) inaugural Pharmacy Practice Improvement Programme Award. Health Destination’s international success clearly shows that Australian pharmacies have backed the right program for a viable community pharmacy sector. Community pharmacy owners now have an informed choice when seeking assistance to help improve their businesses.
It was also rewarding to see PSA’s Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Innovation, Dr Alison Roberts receive the UTS / Astra
8 Australian Pharmacist January 2017 I ©Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Ltd.
Another highlight was PSA’s national roadshow – how did it help members?
It must have been great to see the Health Destination program receiving a major international Award? How does it feel to be recognised by the leading international pharmacy organisation, FIP?
Part of the roadshow was launching Health Destination Pharmacy. How is this evidence- based program progressing?
I understand PSA has also been advocating for new and improved pharmacist remuneration models?