September 2024

News and Updates

Issue 42 - September 2024

From the Chair
Priority news
- Release of revised Guidelines on compounding of medicines
- 3G network closure and emergency devices – talk to your patients
Board news
Students and graduates
- Graduates – apply for provisional registration now!
What’s new?
Stay in touch with the Board

From the Chair

After wide-ranging consultation, the Board has published an advance copy of the revised compounding guidelines for pharmacists. You can access the guidelines now and become familiar with their content before they come into effect 1 October 2024.

We celebrate World Pharmacists Day on 25 September, and I congratulate all pharmacists on the work they do to improve the health of people across Australia and the world.

On behalf of the Board, I thank all pharmacists who took part in our stakeholder event held in Canberra on Thursday 29 August 2024. We welcome these opportunities to engage with the profession and hear your views on current issues.

Brett Simmonds
Chair, Pharmacy Board of Australia

Priority news

Release of revised Guidelines on compounding of medicines

Revised guidelines published in August by the Pharmacy Board of Australia provide greater clarity and direction on safe practice when compounding medicines.

The Guidelines on compounding of medicines provide updated guidance on when it may be appropriate to compound a medicine, supported by a revised definition of a ‘commercial medicine’.

Other changes include:

a greater focus on risk assessment
reducing the duplication of information that is published in peer-reviewed references sources such as the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Handbook (APF)
highlighting when the guidance for compounding of medicines for animal patients is different to the guidance for human patients
highlighting the legal requirements and the standards of practice published by the profession that are relevant to compounding which must be complied with in order to effectively apply the additional guidance published by the Board.

The revised guidelines also reaffirm longstanding guidance for pharmacists about when not to compound a medicine, including if:

it would be the same as a medicine that already exists and is available and appropriate for the person
the pharmacy does not have the right equipment and/or the pharmacist doesn’t have the required knowledge and skills to compound the medicine safely
there is no evidence that it is a safe and appropriate treatment.

Additional resources

Along with the revised guidelines, the Board has published a consumer fact sheet which can be used by pharmacists in their practice to inform consumers about how a compounded medicine is different to other medicines. Other new and updated resources including FAQs will be published by the date the new guidelines come into effect: 1 October 2024.

You can access the guidelines and more information about pharmacy and compounding at the Board’s website.

3G network closure and emergency devices – talk to your patients

From Monday 28 October 2024, Telstra and Optus will close their 3G networks. Devices that depend on the 3G network won’t work when it’s gone.

Devices such as in-home personal emergency alarms, insulin pumps and pacemakers that rely on the 3G network for voice calls won’t be able to make Triple Zero (000) calls when the network is shut down. This means that they might not work properly after the 3G shutdown.

People who use these devices will need to contact their service provider to see if their device is affected.

It is estimated that approximately 200,000 people who use these devices do not know that they rely on the 3G network to work. We are asking practitioners to talk to potentially affected patients and clients about the change and what they need to do to stay safe and connected.

More information is available on ‘3G is closing: check your tech’ on the AMTA website.

Board news

Latest workforce data released

The Board’s latest quarterly registration data report covers the period to 30 June 2024. At this date there were 38,610 registered pharmacists, including:

33,739 with general registration
3,359 with provisional registration
31 with limited registration
1,481 with non-practising registration.

There are 120 pharmacists who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, 0.3 per cent of the profession.

For further data breakdowns by division, age, gender and principal place of practice, visit the Board's Statistics page.

World Pharmacists Day

The annual World Pharmacists Day is on 25 September with the 2024 theme of ‘Pharmacists: Meeting global health needs’. This day highlights the important role pharmacists play in improving the health of people across Australia and the world. We thank all pharmacists across Australia for the essential work you do.

Read our news item on World Pharmacists Day.

Good virtual care practices

Over 25 per cent of Australians have had at least one telehealth consultation for their own health in the last 12 months, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

Ahpra and the National Boards have published virtual care information for health practitioners, the public and employers about accessing and providing safe and effective virtual care.

Practitioners and consumers are increasingly choosing virtual care alternatives as we continue to see growth in the adoption of technology, online prescribing and the use of health ‘apps’. What was once seen as a temporary approach to enable healthcare in a global pandemic is now widely accepted as just another way to see your practitioner.

These documents replace the previous Telehealth guidance for practitioners which was developed to address the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

This information is not new and relies on the existing principles within the National Boards’ regulatory framework, such as codes of conduct and other relevant standards and guidelines. It has been developed as a helpful resource for healthcare providers and consumers to understand what good virtual care should look like.

Applying your code of conduct to evolving technologies – AI in healthcare

Are you using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your practice?

AI is rapidly becoming integrated into everyday healthcare and has the potential to transform and support new and innovative ways of working. So how do you ensure when using these new technologies that you maintain the continued high standard of care expected by your patients and clients?

Ahpra and National Boards support the safe use of AI in healthcare, recognising the significant potential to improve health outcomes and create a more person-centred health system.

While the potential of AI to improve diagnostics and disease detection has been reported for some time, recent commentary has focused on the benefits for health practitioners for improved care and patient satisfaction, including reducing administrative burdens and health practitioner burnout.

As new tools emerge, so do the unique practical and ethical issues associated with its use in a healthcare setting. Ahpra and the National Boards have developed principles for practitioners to consider when using or looking to integrate AI into their practice. These principles translate existing obligations in practitioner codes of conduct and remind practitioners to consider these responsibilities when assessing the appropriate use of AI.

Specific professional obligations to consider include accountability, an appropriate understanding of the tool, transparency of its use, informed consent, and ethical and legal issues. Read Meeting your professional obligations when using AI in healthcare and its supporting case studies on the Ahpra website to learn more about what safe and effective use of AI should look like.

Visit to Canberra

On 29 August, the Board hosted a stakeholder reception in Canberra attended by students, registered local community and hospital-based pharmacists, and pharmacy stakeholders.

The Board welcomed the opportunity to engage with stakeholders and discuss local issues as well as Board work currently underway such as the review of registration standards and guidelines.

Students and graduates

Graduates – apply for provisional registration now!

Need help applying?

On the graduate applications page of the Ahpra website, you will find helpful guides on completing your application for registration, tips for how to avoid delays, and information flyers you can download for working offline.

You can also check out our graduate video to help you get your application right.

Make sure you provide correct photo ID

As part of your application, you need to provide certified copies of your photo ID documents. If they’re not certified correctly, your application will be delayed, so it’s important they’re certified with the following:

‘I certify that this is a true copy of the original and the photograph is a true likeness of the person presenting the document as sighted by me.’

To get it right the first time download the Certifying documents guide and take it with you to the authorised officer.

Who can certify documents?

Registered health practitioners can certify photo ID documents. So can Justices of the Peace (JPs), public servants, teachers, lecturers and members of the legal profession. For the full list of authorised officers, see the guide.

Meeting the registration standards

You may need to provide supporting documents with your application to prove that you meet the Pharmacy Board’s registration standards including meeting the English language skills requirements. Make sure you provide all the documents we need with your application so we can assess it quicker.

How long does it take to assess my application?

We can’t finalise your application until we receive your graduation results from your education provider.

If you’ve submitted everything needed to prove you’ve met the requirements for registration, including your completed and signed application for approval of supervised practice, we aim to finalise your application within two weeks of receiving your graduation results.

For more information, read the news item.

What’s new?

National Prescribing Competencies Framework review

Ahpra has been contracted by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) to review the Prescribing Competencies Framework – Embedding quality use of medicines into practice, second edition (the framework).

The review aims to ensure the framework supports Quality Use of Medicines and that it:

remains fit for purpose, contemporary, efficient, accurate and reflects current and emerging trends in education and multi-profession practices, and
continues to describe competencies required to contribute to safe and person-centred prescribing.

The framework was originally developed and hosted by NPS MedicineWise. Published in April 2021, it describes the competencies and expectations for appropriate, safe and effective prescribing across relevant health professions.

Ahpra will be conducting targeted and public consultations in the next 12 months as part of the review. The final updated version of the framework will be submitted to the Department for approval before publication.

While the framework will be hosted on the Ahpra website, the Department will continue to own the document as part of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Program.

Read more about the review of the framework on the Ahpra website.

Greater protection for the public under National Law changes

The recent series of amendments to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law are now complete, with a final suite of changes being introduced from 1 July.

A key update for practitioners is that you can now nominate an alternative name to go on the register, alongside your legal name.

Some health practitioners may practise under an alternative name, such as a traditional name or an anglicised or shortened name. Having both your legal name and your alternative name appear on the public register will make it easier for the public to search the register and make informed decisions about their care.

You can find out more information about alternative names and how to nominate on the Ahpra website.

Other changes to the National Law from 1 July include:

allowing National Boards and Ahpra to issue interim prohibition orders to unregistered persons in certain circumstances where the person poses a serious risk to others
establishing the process regarding renewal of a practitioner’s registration after a period of suspension
empowering the National Boards to include previously excluded information in the National Register if there is a reasonable belief the circumstances have changed
enabling the Ministerial Council to delegate its power to approve registration standards to an appropriate entity.

Australia’s health system, as well as the reasons and ways people access it, has changed dramatically over the past 15 years. These reforms allow the regulation scheme to evolve with it, strengthening Ahpra and National Boards’ ability to protect the public and support practitioners.

More information about the changes, as well as future areas of focus and ways to provide feedback, can be found on Ahpra's website.

Improving experiences when navigating a healthcare complaint

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), Ahpra and the National Boards have worked on a joint project to explore opportunities to improve the consumer experience of making a healthcare complaint in Australia.

Both organisations wanted to get a better understanding of the barriers that consumers face when making a healthcare complaint and to discover what they can do to support consumers.

The final report has now been published along with supporting resources for practitioners and the public about navigating healthcare complaints. The project found that the complexity of the complaints system places a huge weight of responsibility on consumers to understand how it works. Consumers are also experiencing barriers, whether social, economic or cultural, that are affecting their ability to make a complaint and want a system that is focused on their needs rather than administrative processes.

What we’ve done

To improve experiences for those going through a complaint process, the Commission and Ahpra have:

updated our websites to clarify the process of making a complaint
developed three animations to give clear information to the public about how and where to make a health complaint
developed a ‘Tips for consumers when making a complaint’ webpage and fact sheet
developed Healthcare complaints - where to make a complaint (downloadable fact sheet), and
created a complaints checklist for practitioners to help effectively handle feedback and complaints from their patients or clients.

We will continue to make improvements to our websites and consumer resources. In some states and territories, work is being explored to develop a targeted local resource about complaints options.

Review to ease the complexity of health regulation

The Review of complexity in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the Dawson review) began in May 2024, and is led by the former NSW Health Care Complaints Commissioner Sue Dawson.

The independent review aims to identify areas of the National Scheme that are unnecessarily complex and recommend changes that will improve regulatory outcomes for health practitioners and the community.

Six terms of reference outline the scope of the review. These will consider:

how to streamline and harmonise decision-making to improve consistency in regulation
how to make complaints management more consumer-driven, consistent, accessible and efficient
how to make tribunal decision-making more consistent
stewardship of the National Scheme
how to manage new professions entering the National Scheme, and
the powers ministers have to direct entities exercising accreditation functions.

Consultation paper 1 was released on 12 September.

The review is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Stay in touch with the Board

Visit the Pharmacy Board website for news about the profession, information on the National Scheme and for registration standards, codes, guidelines, policies and fact sheets.
Lodge an online enquiry.
For registration enquiries call 1300 419 495 (from within Australia) or +61 3 9125 3010 (for overseas callers).
Address mail correspondence to the Chair, Pharmacy Board of Australia, GPO Box 9958, Melbourne VIC 3000.