Key recommendations for the policy’s review put forward by the RACGP are aimed at ensuring access, safety and quality...
Chair of RACGP Expert Committee – Quality Care Professor Mark Morgan believes the NMP should emphasise reducing supply issues via greater medicines independence for Australia.
‘The scope of NMP should not relate to profitability of pharmacy chains, but should be broad enough to step back and look at the whole system of getting the right medicine to the right person at the right time and for the right price,’ Professor Morgan told newsGP...
‘My own views about alternatives to community pharmacy dispensing come from a position of wanting to make medicines more accessible and cheaper, particularly for patients on stable long-term medications,’ Professor Morgan said.
‘The frequency of medical reviews is best determined by the patient and doctor together, rather than arbitrary monthly supplies of medication.’
Examining the future of dispensing, the proposal of alternatives such as medicine vending machines has been raised outside the college.
‘To support alternative dispensing, a well-resourced “dial-a-pharmacist” advice service would be needed and increased Doctor’s Bag supplies for immediate needs,’ Professor Morgan said.
‘The massive saving from the Community Pharmacy Agreement could be reinvested in general practice.’
Professor Morgan also believes the interaction between patients and pharmacists in the community pharmacy setting should be re-examined, and has previously called for pharmacists to be part of GP-led primary care teams providing medication education for patients and dispensing advice.
‘A lot is said about how [this interaction] adds to quality use of medicines, and particularly patient safety, but anecdotally it is often little more than the interaction between a person and a shopkeeper, in a public place that lacks privacy,’ he said.
‘My thoughts are that highly trained pharmacists would be much better employed within general practice with responsibility for quality use of medicine activities and patient education, where and when helpful.’...
‘Patient safety can be enhanced by much better use of real-time computer decision support software with intelligent alerts and prompts that make best use of routinely recorded patient data,’ Professor Morgan said.
Quality Use of Medicines
Primary Care
Health Policy