Wed 8 July 2026

Policy and advocacy impact – June 2026

June was a busy month for AdPha’s policy and advocacy program, with a strong focus on pharmacist prescribing, hospital funding reform and medicines policy.

AdPha submitted its response to IHACPA’s Pricing Framework for Australian Public Hospital Services 2027–28 consultation, highlighting that existing coding and funding arrangements do not adequately recognise the complexity and value of clinical pharmacy services. Informed by member feedback and real-world case studies, our submission called for improved coding, complexity-based funding models and greater recognition of high-value pharmacist-led care.

AdPha also submitted detailed feedback on the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s Endorsement for scheduled medicines proposal, informed by extensive member and stakeholder consultation and our position on pharmacist prescribing in team-based care settings. While supporting a nationally consistent endorsement model, AdPha advocated for a framework that is fit-for-purpose across all care settings, recognises existing hospital pharmacist prescribing capabilities, enables equitable access to PBS-subsidised medicines and is supported by appropriate governance, funding and implementation mechanisms.

Advocacy on pharmacist prescribing continued through meetings with the Western Australia Department of Health and the WA Minister’s Office, focusing on opportunities to support workforce sustainability and expand access to pharmacist prescribing within team-based models of care.

In medicines policy, AdPha continued to advocate for practical solutions to ongoing medicines shortages and discontinuations. We contributed to the first and second rounds of the HTA Review Delphi consultation process, supporting patient-centred definitions for High Unmet Clinical Need (HUCN) and High Added Therapeutic Value (HATV) while recognising the need for flexibility within health technology assessment processes. AdPha also continued to advocate for the establishment of a National Medicines Shortages and Discontinuations Clinical Advice Service to provide frontline clinicians with timely, evidence-based support during supply disruptions.

AdPha also brought together a coalition of healthcare organisations, including RACGP, ANMF, CATAG, PSA and PDL, to advocate for a review of the Strive for 5 requirement for twice-daily manual vaccine temperature monitoring. Through a joint letter and briefing to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the consortium called for greater flexibility where validated continuous temperature monitoring systems with real-time alerts and appropriate backup power arrangements are in place, reducing unnecessary administrative burden while maintaining vaccine safety and quality standards.