Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt has committed to PSA being a signatory of the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA), due for commencement in 2020.

Mr Hunt, attending the launch of the PSA’s Pharmacists in 2023 report at Parliament House in Canberra, praised the work of the PSA – and flagged an important development in the governance of pharmacy remuneration in Australia.

‘As we look forward to pharmacy in 2023, and go through this report, the goal is the integrated role of pharmacists practising to their full scope. We will now work with you on these recommendations … and I make this commitment that you (PSA) will be the signatories for the first time for the 7CPA.

‘I would like to build in to that agreement the expanded scope of practice where pharmacy will be involved increasingly in preventive health … to keep more people out of hospitals, keep more people healthy, save lives and protect lives.’

Greg Hunt at the Pharmacists in 2023 report launch.

Mr Hunt also praised the work of PSA in its advocacy for funding support for a number of pharmacy trials, in particular chronic pain MedsCheck.

‘What we do on these MedsChecks literally saves lives and protects lives, and that’s a united front we have to have,’ Mr Hunt said.

Mr Hunt also stated that real-time prescription monitoring would be rolled out across Australia in the coming year.

‘Real-time monitoring is something that the PSA has championed, (and we are) now working with the states to have a single standard on that. This is about protecting patients and protecting the broader community. I am very confident that it will be up and running across the nation for the course of this calendar year, and it would not have happened without the Society and without your support.’