Political parties to support pharmacists in Queensland

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is calling on all political parties to commit to improve the health of Queenslanders through pharmacy-related initiatives.

PSA Queensland Branch President Shane MacDonald comments that the upcoming election is the perfect time to commit to new reforms that will allow pharmacists, as medicines experts, to practice to their full range of abilities that will lead to a healthier Queensland.

“PSA urges all political parties to allow pharmacists to administer more routine medicines, such as injectable buprenorphine, insulin or vitamin B12, to improve Queensland patients’ management of complex health conditions,” he says.

“Pharmacists are skilled in administering simple injections, however Queensland law currently limits the medicines which can be administered to some vaccines and adrenaline.

“Pharmacists in Victoria and the ACT are able to do so and are already administering medicines by injection to patients – such as buprenorphine for opioid dependence and denosumab for osteoporosis​.”

He says that amending regulations will remove the barrier artificially preventing pharmacists from providing safe, convenient and timely health care to Queenslanders at no cost to the Queensland government.

PSA also asked for the elected party to establish and fund transition-of-care pharmacists in all tertiary Queensland hospitals to avoid preventable readmissions.

PSA’s Medicine Safety: Take Care report revealed over 90% of patients have at least one medicine-related problem on leaving.

“Employing transition-of-care pharmacists to work with the patient’s care team through outpatient consultations or providing services can reduce medicine harm,” he says.

PSA has also reiterated the need to appoint a Chief Pharmacist to provide strategic leadership on improving medicine safety for Queensland and to drive coordination and rapid implementation of public health measures during emergencies.