Tue 23 December 2025
Future Pharmacy Programs must be designed for patients, not the profession
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) today welcomes the public release of Pharmacy Programs Cost Effectiveness Review - Final Report, calling for the immediate implementation of all recommendations supported by AdPha in its September submission to the Commonwealth.
AdPha President Assoc. Prof Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) said the review provides a clear roadmap to modernise pharmacy programs and improve equity of access across the full continuum of care.
‘AdPha welcomes the final report and strongly supports its focus on improving access, quality and sustainability across pharmacy programs.
‘These recommendations must now be implemented in full to ensure access and equity across the entire spectrum of care - because access to medication management programs, quality use of medicines and medication safety do not start and end at the door of the community pharmacy.
‘Programs designed to address medication safety and improve quality use of medicines, must always start with the patient, not the profession. Programs should be designed around what patients need, where they receive care, and how they move between settings.’
AdPha welcomes the report’s emphasis on accountability and smarter funding models and said the review’s workforce recommendations were critical to the long-term success of pharmacy programs.
‘‘Removing unnecessary caps and modernising program rules will help ensure consumers can access timely, high-quality medication reviews, while preserving professional judgement and enabling care to be tailored to individual patient needs.
‘We support a robust monitoring and evaluation framework that is proportionate, draws on existing data and focuses squarely on quality and patient outcomes - not volume for volume’s sake.
‘The review rightly recognises that funding must reflect the complexity, time and location of care. Scaled remuneration is essential to support rural communities and patients with complex needs, and must be implemented without eroding existing rural funding.
‘A national Pharmacy Workforce Strategy is urgently needed, with sustained investment in workforce pipelines, rural support and the full inclusion of hospital pharmacy as a core component of integrated care.
‘We also strongly support measures to improve awareness, transparency and cultural safety, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs, and the need for seamless access across care settings, including hospitals.’
Assoc. Prof. Simpson said future medication management programs should be guided by established pharmacy standards that already support system-wide, team-based care.
‘Earlier this month, AdPha released the most comprehensive update to Medication Safety Standards in many years, reflecting contemporary practice and the realities of modern healthcare.
‘These standards are developed through extensive consultation and while they are the national benchmark of hospital pharmacy, they are designed to support pharmacists wherever they practise - across hospitals, health services and the community - working collaboratively with other health professionals to improve patient outcomes.
‘Medication safety is a shared responsibility. All pharmacists have a role to play, and pharmacy programs must be designed with the whole system - and the patient - at the centre.’