Pharmacy Board position statement on pharmacist prescribing

15 Oct 2019

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board) is pleased to release its position statement on pharmacist prescribing.

This position statement is the result of extensive work by the Board to examine the issue, including competency mapping and broad stakeholder engagement that saw the Board host a forum and release a discussion paper on pharmacist prescribing.

Pharmacy Board of Australia Chair, Mr Brett Simmonds, said the position statement addressed the competence of pharmacists in Australia to prescribe under the models of non-medical prescribing defined by the Health Professionals Prescribing Pathway (HPPP).

The Board concluded that under the National Law¹ the Board has no regulatory barriers in place for pharmacists to be able to prescribe in two of those models of care within a collaborative healthcare environment, via a structured prescribing arrangement or under supervision. However, the Board’s view is that autonomous prescribing by pharmacists requires additional regulation via an endorsement for scheduled medicines.

The work by the Board to explore pharmacist prescribing has not resulted in any regulatory proposals.

‘Developments leading to changes to how pharmacists further contribute to the delivery of health services requires input from a broad range of stakeholders and government and importantly, the public receiving such services,’ Mr Simmonds said.

The Board hopes the work it has carried out to date will facilitate stakeholders to further explore the potential role of pharmacists in prescribing that may contribute to the healthcare needs of the public.

The Board’s position statement also includes several important considerations that would inform any development of pharmacist prescribing models in the future.

‘I urge stakeholders to consider these issues, to reach a common understanding of the ways in which pharmacists can further contribute to public healthcare and to collaborate on any future proposals,’ Mr Simmonds said.

The Board welcomes further engagement on proposals for pharmacist prescribing including further discussions on the issues raised in its position statement which you can read on its website, www.pharmacyboard.gov.au

For more information

• Visit www.pharmacyboard.gov.au under Contact us to lodge an online enquiry
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers)
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

¹The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory (the National Law)