2024/25 annual summary

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Pharmacy in 2024/25

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2024/25 annual report Download the
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Registration

40,913 pharmacists
- Up 6.0% from 2023/24
- 4.3% of all registered health practitioners
3,072 first-time registrants
- 1,444 domestic (including new graduates)
- 1,628 international
0.3% identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Gender

Female	Male
64.6%	35.3%

64.6% Female
35.3% Male

Age

<254.8%
25-3434.9%
35-4432.7%
45-5414.8%
55-648.1%
65-743.6%
75+1.0%

Regulation

686 notifications lodged with Ahpra about 420 pharmacists
1,159 notifications about 673 pharmacists made Australia-wide, including HPCA and OHO data
- 1.6% of the profession Australia-wide

Sources of notifications

63.1%
16.5%
11.4%
2.8%
1.9%
4.4%

63.1% Patient, relative or member of the public
16.5% Other practitioner
11.4% Police, government or co-regulator
2.8% Employer
1.9% Board initiated
4.4% Other

Most common types of complaints

59.3%
11.5%
4.4%
4.2%
4.1%
16.5%

59.3% Medication
11.5% Communication
4.4% Offence against other law
4.2% Behaviour
4.1% Clinical care
16.5% Other

Notifications closed

7.6%
3.1%
0.9%
24.5%
63.9%

554 notifications closed

7.6% Cautioned or reprimanded
3.1% Conditions imposed on registration or an undertaking accepted
0.9% Registration suspended or cancelled or disqualified from applying
24.5% Referred to another body or retained by a health complaints organisation
63.9% No further regulatory action (including where practitioner has taken steps to address)

40 immediate actions taken
88 mandatory notifications received
- 60 about professional standards
- 23 about impairment
- 5 about alcohol or drugs
37 practitioners monitored for health, performance and/or conduct
10 criminal offence complaints made
8 notifications decided by a tribunal
No matters decided by a panel
1 appeal lodged

Capability and assessment frameworks

The Pharmacy Board of Australia approved funding for the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) to develop a Pharmacist Capability Framework alongside the next iteration of the Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Programs. A corresponding Assessment Framework will also be developed by the APC.

The Pharmacist Capability Framework will support the Board’s registration functions and the APC’s accreditation functions by:

underpinning the next version of the accreditation standards developed by the APC to accredit pharmacy programs that lead to qualifications suitable for registration in the pharmacy profession
supporting the initial training, assessment and registration of pharmacists who qualified in Australia or overseas. The frameworks will also outline the expected minimum requirement for performance at entry to the profession and at re-entry, after a period of absence from practice.

The Pharmacist Capability Framework and the Assessment Framework can be reviewed and updated as required by the Board. This will ensure that pharmacist capabilities remain fit for purpose and support the effective delivery of the accreditation and registration functions by the APC and the Board.

Pharmacist prescribing

The Board continued its stakeholder engagement to further inform its work to support pharmacist prescribing authorised in states and territories. The accreditation by the APC of education programs against the Board-funded Accreditation standards for pharmacist prescriber education programs ensures that graduates of an accredited program meet the competencies in the NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competencies Framework (second edition), which describes the practice expectations of Australian prescribers regardless of profession. Graduation from accredited programs enables pharmacists to safely participate in prescribing pilots authorised by states and territories.

Review of registration standards and guidelines

The Guidelines on compounding of medicines were published after wide-ranging consultation. The guidelines, which took effect from 1 October, apply to pharmacists and support safe compounding of medicines that meet the unique needs of patients.

The Board also completed preliminary consultation on the draft Guidelines on the safe provision of pharmacy services including medicines and advice, which consolidated the following guidelines:

Guidelines for dispensing of medicines
Guidelines on practice-specific issues
Guidelines on dose administration aids and staged supply of dispensed medicines
Guidelines for proprietor pharmacists.

To further inform the review of its Registration standard on the supervised practice requirements for intern pharmacists holding provisional registration, the Board continued to engage with stakeholders to understand potential impacts of the proposed changes.

The Board collaborated with other National Boards in reviewing registration standards common to all health professions.

Stakeholder engagement

The Board continued its face-to-face engagement with pharmacists and stakeholders by holding meetings in Canberra and Perth to discuss local issues affecting pharmacists and their practice and the Board’s role in protecting the public.

Dr Cameron Phillips PhD, Chair

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2024/25 annual report See the complete set of
data tables Download the
report appendices

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