Council News October 2022 

Council Message

Welcome to the October edition of the Pharmacy Council of NSW newsletter.

We are very pleased to welcome our new Council Community Member, Anne Gripper. Anne comes to the Council after a career in sports administration, including 11 years working in the drugs in sport area. She is currently on the Board of several community organisations and is the Chair of the Integrity Commission of the International Cycling Union. There is no doubt that she will make a valuable contribution and will find her time with the Council both stimulating and rewarding.  

The Council has launched a new initiative, being a quarterly forum, bringing together key pharmacy stakeholder agencies to discuss issues of relevance to the profession. Three forums have been held to date, with a fourth planned for November 2022. Click here for the first Forum Communique developed and published with the support of involved stakeholders.

Council representatives were pleased to be invited to present a session at the recent Guild Pharmacy Connect conference entitled ‘How to protect your most valuable business asset- your registration’. The session was very well attended and stimulated effective and robust discussion.

The Council is pleased to present our new podcast series to help keep you informed of trends in the field as well as the complaints process. Our podcasts will talk about the issues important to you and your practice, demystify the complaints process and provide insight into the role of the regulators. More information about our new podcast series is provided further below in this newsletter. 

In this newsletter we have also included an article on the roles and responsibilities of preceptors and the importance of proprietors ensuring that employed interns are provided with appropriate education, training and mentoring. These interns are the future of our profession and their early experiences will affect their future professionalism.

We take this opportunity to remind all pharmacists of their responsibilities for self-learning and ensuring that their CPD activities reflect their scope of practice. This is particularly important for early career pharmacists. This newsletter contains an article for these pharmacists which highlights the importance of networking, knowledge of the Pharmacy Board of Australia guidelines and awareness of workload pressures on the health and well-being of pharmacists.

Finally, a reminder that Ahpra registration renewals are now due. When completing your renewal, please ensure that Ahpra has your correct email address as this will ensure you receive relevant notifications from Ahpra, the Pharmacy Board of Australia and the Council.

Veronica Murdoch
President, Pharmacy Council of NSW

Primacy of the preceptor

The intern year is a pivotal time in a pharmacist’s career and choosing a preceptor is an important component that requires some thought. Factors that commonly influence the choice of preceptor include convenience to where the intern lives and/or whether there has been a prior relationship with the pharmacy. As Pharmacy Council members, we often see early career pharmacists who have not had an inspiring and/or educational experience during their intern year with unfortunate consequences. A preceptor can shape your career so you need to choose wisely. Preceptors who do not have a high personal professional standard themselves may pass on very little knowledge, or (even worse) poor processes, which creates enormous difficulties. A wise choice of preceptor may result in significantly less trauma in your professional life.

Your preceptor can, and should, shape your professional career. It is important for preceptors to be present and curious regarding a prospective intern’s career and aspirations, and for this to be evident prior to the intern’s start date. A strong focus on governance and oversight of the pharmacy is an excellent foundation for a pharmacy business. A preceptor who can pass on best practice in this regard plays a vital role in modelling what is required to be an effective pharmacist in charge or pharmacy proprietor. 

The Pharmacy Board of Australia Guidelines (Pharmacy Board of Australia - Internships) state:

The approved preceptor is responsible for the overall supervision and development of the intern. On a day-to-day basis, the approved preceptor may personally supervise the intern at the approved site, or may delegate the supervision to another suitably-qualified pharmacist at the site.

The preceptor should be present at the approved training site on a regular basis. Pharmacists who do not regularly practise at the site are advised not to apply for approval as a preceptor. This role is best undertaken by pharmacists who can meet the preceptor requirements outlined in the Board’s 'Registration standard: Supervised practice arrangements' and deliver the onsite training program in accordance with this guide.

Interns are reminded that whilst preceptors are required to be very present, engagement with the intern year and pharmacy team is highly important and crucial to ensuring the ongoing intern/preceptor relationship is productive and robust.

Introducing: Pharmacy Council podcasts 

We are excited to announce the launch of a podcast series with our first two podcasts having been recorded last month.

Episode 1: Keeping the public safe - What pharmacists need to know

In our first episode, we discover how the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit (the PRU) and the Pharmacy Council are working together to keep the public safe.

How does the PRU and Council manage complaints and investigations into pharmacists? And what can pharmacists do if a complaint is made against them?

We hear expert advice from Bruce Battye, Director Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit, and Georgina Woods, Professional Officer for the Pharmacy Council.

Episode 2: The dangers of high-risk medications

In this episode, we take a closer look at the dangers involved with high-risk medications such as Fentanyl and what pharmacists can do when dispensing drugs like Fentanyl.

Our expert panel features Bruce Battye, Director of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit, along with Georgina Woods and Shweta Kumar, both Professional Officers for the Pharmacy Council of NSW.

Recent Tribunal decisions 

Health Care Complaints Commission v Judd Seng Long Ang

The Tribunal found the complaints of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct proven. The practitioner’s registration was cancelled. He is not permitted to apply for re-instatement of his registration for a period of 18 months.

Health Care Complaints Commission v Luigi Sbirziola  

The Tribunal found the practitioner guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and misconduct. Had the practitioner still been registered, the Tribunal would have cancelled his registration. He is not permitted to seek re registration for 10 years.

Useful links

Forged scripts: Did you know that NSW Health publishes a table with details of ‘prescribers’ appearing on prescriptions reported to be lost, stolen or forged? If you are inquiring into the validity of a script and whether it may be forged, click here.

Accreditation standards for pharmacist prescribing:  The Pharmacy Board of Australia is to develop accreditation standards for pharmacist prescribing education programs. Click here for more information.

Patient date of birth required on all prescriptions from 1 November 2022: When the prescription is presented to a pharmacy for dispensing the patient DOB must be recorded in the patient’s profile of the dispensing system.  A pharmacist will be permitted to dispense a prescription if the DOB is omitted but must obtain the patient's DOB from the patient or their agent and record this in the dispensing system. Click here for more information and here to download the factsheet Information for Pharmacists.