‘We’re increasingly seeing incidents where alert fatigue has been identified as a contributing factor. It’s not that there wasn’t an alert in place, but that it was lost among the other alerts the clinician saw,’ Prof Baysari says.
Beyond the arrhythmia, AF often signals broader pathological processes that impair cardiac function and reduce quality of life and life expectancy.5 Many of these conditions are closely linked to social determinants of health, disproportionately affecting populations with socioeconomic disadvantage. Effective AF management requires addressing both the arrhythmia and its underlying contributors.4 
C – Comorbidity and risk factor management
Warfarin
This week pharmacists will see a suite of regulatory and funding changes take effect.
Here are the six key updates pharmacists need to know before tomorrow.
1. Dispensing fees will marginally rise
Under the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement, pharmacists’ dispensing fee – along with the Tier 1 Administration, Handling and Infrastructure fee and the Dangerous Drug fee – will be indexed by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) annually on 1 July.
Over the past 12 months to the March 2025 quarter, the CPI increased to 2.4%.
So from tomorrow, there will be a slight jump in the per script dispense fee, which will rise from $8.67 to $8.89.
2. (Dis)continued dispensing as emergency measures roll back
As of tomorrow, temporary emergency measures that expanded the range of medicines available under Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Continued Dispensing arrangements will be repealed.
The emergency authority which authorised these Continued Dispensing arrangements for private and PBS prescriptions in New South Wales, will also end at 11:59 pm tonight.
Only the standard list of 149 PBS-listed molecules will be available under Continued Dispensing in most jurisdictions, covering conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and HIV.
However, Continued Dispensing will continue for some. Just enacted in Queensland, the amount of medicine a pharmacist can supply to a patient as an ‘emergency supply’ is increasing from 3 days’ supply to the smallest available manufacturer’s pack of the medicine. This applies in addition to the supply provisions enabled under the Commonwealth Continued Dispensing Determination. And in Tasmania permanent regulation also allows full Continued Dispensing as private supply for all Prescription Only Medicines.
A full list of what’s happening in your state or territory is available via PSA’s Regulation Hub which will be updated overnight to reflect these changes.
The PSA has long advocated for the full measure to be made permanent across the nation.
‘We’ve seen temporary continued dispensing measures introduced during natural disasters, which is important, but there are several scenarios where a permanent policy would help patients, from personal emergencies to natural disasters,’ said PSA CEO Adjunct Associate Professor Steve Morris.
‘PSA is again urging the federal government to work with state and territory governments to permanently protect emergency access to medicines.’
3. New vaping standards will come into effect
From 1 July, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will implement strengthened standards for all therapeutic nicotine vaping products used for smoking-cessation and nicotine-dependence. This measure is designed to mitigate risks associated with therapeutic vaping products and ensure a consistent level of safety and quality across all products supplied through pharmacies.
Under the new standards, pharmacies will only be permitted to supply vapes that satisfy defined criteria around permitted ingredients, tamper-evident and child-resistant packaging, and clear, consistent labelling.
Pharmacists should refer to the TGA’s notified vape list, which details all therapeutic vaping products approved for smoking cessation and the management of nicotine dependence.
4. Pharmacists now have longer to transition to the new MMR and ACOP credential
Until recently, pharmacists were required to meet the revised credentialing standards by 30 June 2025 – either by obtaining Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) towards their new credential or by undertaking further education to fulfil the updated requirements.
The deadlines to achieve both credentials have now been extended to:
- 31 December 2025 to transition to the Medication Management Review (MMR) credential. There will be no further extensions beyond this point.
- 30 June 2026 for transitioning to the Aged Care On-site Pharmacist (ACOP) Credential. MMR-credentialed pharmacists may continue to participate in the ACOP Measure through this date.
For more information on meeting the new requirements, refer to the AP article on the new MMR and ACOP credential deadlines.
5. The Victorian pharmacy pilot will go permanent
Following a successful evaluation, the Victorian Community Pharmacist Statewide Pilot will transition to the permanent Community Pharmacist Program tomorrow.
The program will also expand over the next 2 years, allowing appropriately trained pharmacists to offer services and prescribe certain Schedule 4 medications for 22 acute and chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, allergies, ear infections and minor wounds. Pharmacists will also be able to administer travel vaccinations.
The Victorian government will continue to fund the program. This means most consultations will be free, with pharmacists receiving $20 per service. Pharmacists can charge an additional fee on top for services provided at their discretion.
However, the medicine subsidy that was provided during the pilot will end, with patients required to pay the full cost of and prescribed medications going forward.
Community pharmacies can submit an expression of interest to join the program via the Victorian Department of Health website.
6. Piloted community pharmacist services in Queensland will also go permanent
From Tuesday, the services trialled under the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot and the Contraception Pilot will be adopted as routine community pharmacy offerings.
Pharmacists who have undergone the requisite training will be authorised to assess and manage minor ailments, deliver targeted health and wellbeing interventions, and supply hormonal contraception as part of standard practice. The chronic conditions and medicines management services will remain in pilot phase until 30 June 2026, allowing for continued evaluation and refinement.
Planning is already under way within Queensland Health to transition the pilot services into business-as-usual workflows. In the meantime, participating pharmacies should continue to deliver pilot-phase services in line with current guidelines. Detailed implementation guidance and further updates on the ongoing chronic disease and medicines management pilots will be issued in coming months to support pharmacists through this transition.
7. Interns and students get medicines administration rights in Queensland
In another 1 July update for Queensland, intern and student pharmacists working in a community pharmacy, private hospital or public hospital or health facility can administer any medicine that a pharmacist is authorised to administer, under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.
