Yesterday’s post attempted to show what would happen with pharmacy in urban Australia if the norms of remote Australia were implemented.
Allow me to make a few comments that may clarify some of the points I made yesterday.
• Some pharmacies do an outstanding effort with their S100 support funds. Some communities still do not access these funds. Some services I have heard of from health services around Australia are pretty poor.
• From personal experience I am aware of conflicting advice within boards in a number of areas. The Australian Pharmacy Council to their credit have a process looking at way legislation can impede pharmacists in rural and remote areas from providing care.
• At least one state health department has also been looking at how pharmacy/pharmacists can work better in rural areas.
• The current business rules contained within the November 2008 S100 Pharmacy support kit state:
“It should be noted that any Outstation/s that do not meet this definition, will not be included in the calculation of the Allowance.”
With more health services going to a hub and spoke model to give support to health staff, with nurses and GPs providing regular clinics and on call visits, with visiting physicians being funded under MSOAP to visit these small communities the Guild feel we don’t have a place in the care of these patients.
Unfortunately this seems to have resulted from a query I put to DoHA who then spoke to the Guild. When this appeared in the draft document I mealed DoHA an received this response.
“Whilst there is technically a requirement for a full-time Health Worker to be employed at each Outstation, it is the Department’s view is that if a valid State/Territory Poison Licence for each of these is in place, and there is a ‘fully functioning clinic and medicines’ room in which ‘S4 medicines’ are stored, this would be adequate as a minimum requirement.”
• If you care about indigenous health please remove all sharp objects from your reach before you read the submissions from our pharmacy bodies to the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission
• Despite hearing some months ago that Qld PSA would be employing someone to deal with rural and remote issues for PSA the job has yet to be advertised. The board at PSA national also needs a member whose role it is to bring the issues before the board.
• The professional Programs and Services Advisory Committee (PPSAC) had alternative proposals to look at funding of pharmacists for remote health services rather than the S100 support service. . I can understand the Pharmacy Guild not liking it but what was the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) position? There was no consultation that I am aware of.
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