New accreditation agreement signed: Contemporary framework for public protection

24 Jun 2019

Today the Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board), the Australian Pharmacy Council (the APC) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) announced the signing of a new five-year accreditation agreement starting 1 July 2019.

Pharmacy Board of Australia Chair, Mr Brett Simmonds said he was delighted to have the new agreements in place for the next five-year term and highlighted the importance of the work of the APC as the accreditation authority.

‘The APC plays a crucial role in protecting the public through their job of accrediting programs of study against the accreditation standards approved by the Board. The new accreditation agreement will provide the public with greater transparency and accountability and will enable us to improve public protection.

‘The Board is thankful for the strong partnership we have with the APC and are grateful for their determined effort that has enabled us to complete this important piece of work. We look forward to working closely together over the five-year term.’ Mr Simmonds said.

The accreditation agreement, part of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme), is a contemporary framework designed to address key accreditation issues including cultural safety, safety and quality, reducing regulatory burden, multi-profession collaboration to meet evolving health care needs, and strengthen accountability and transparency.

The agreement also includes principles for funding and fee setting and new key performance indicators to track progress on priority issues.

This accreditation agreement is one of ten new accreditation agreements being established between AHPRA and the individual external accreditation authorities.

For further information

• Lodge an online enquiry form.
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 8708 9001 (overseas callers).
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200.