As highlighted in PSA's submission to the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation, the Competency Standards for pharmacists which all pharmacists are required to meet as a condition of their registration with AHPRA – clearly demonstrate this extensive expertise.
Responding to statements made by The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) in its submission to the Review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation comparing the standards of care delivered by hospital and community pharmacists, PSA National President Joe Demarte said it was disappointing to see such ill-informed and divisive comments from another pharmacy group.
"These sorts of invidious comparisons run counter to the Code of Ethics for pharmacists, which applies to pharmacists working in any area of the profession. Moreover, there is no basis in evidence for making such claims," Demarte said.
"Community pharmacists in Australia are one of the largest, most trusted and most accessible groups of health professionals. Community pharmacies have provided and will continue to provide a vital network for primary and preventative community-based health care.
"Demarte also rebuffed SHPA's misleading statements regarding PSA's capacity to deliver policy assistance and expert advice to Government.
"Given PSA's recognised role in providing this very expertise through the Federal Government's Health Peak Advisory Bodies program funding, we are perplexed as to why SHPA would make this claim – it's simply wrong. PSA is proud to represent all sectors of the profession in delivering such high quality advice."
As the peak national body for pharmacists, PSA has asked all pharmacy groups to focus firstly on the healthcare needs of Australians and then to work together to positively progress ways to optimise the contribution of pharmacists the profession in the health system to deliver high quality, evidence-based care that is appropriately remunerated.
Today's health system needs a workforce that is capable of working across multiple settings to deliver care wherever it is needed by the consumer.
PSA is committed to supporting pharmacists throughout their career through the development and implementation of standards, guidelines, high-quality education, training and practice support.