The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the board), the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) have signed a new five-year accreditation agreement starting on Monday (July 1).
Pharmacy Board Chair Brett Simmonds highlighted the importance of the work of the APC as the accreditation authority.
‘The APC plays a crucial role in protecting the public through their job of accrediting programs of study against the accreditation standards approved by the board,” he said. “The new accreditation agreement will provide the public with greater transparency and accountability and will enable us to improve public protection.
‘The board is thankful for the strong partnership we have with the APC and grateful for their determined effort that has enabled us to complete this important piece of work. We look forward to working closely together over the five-year term.”
The agreement, part of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, is a contemporary framework designed to address key accreditation issues, including cultural safety, safety and quality, reducing regulatory burden, and multi-profession collaboration to meet evolving healthcare needs, and strengthen accountability and transparency.
The agreement also includes principles for funding and fee setting, as well as new key performance indicators to track progress on priority issues.
It is one of 10 new accreditation agreements being established between AHPRA and the individual external accreditation authorities.
In further news, the APC has reappointed four directors to its board. Each has been appointed for a second term of three years as and when the terms expire through 2019.
The directors are: Associate Professor Sue Kirsa, current APC Chair, who is the Director of Pharmacy at Monash Health, Victoria; Emeritus Professor Nicolas Glasgow, Acting Head, Department of Health Services Research and Policy, Australian National University, ACT; Professor Rhonda Clifford, Head, School of Allied Health (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences), University of Western Australia, WA; and Ms Amanda Galbraith, community pharmacist, ACT.
