The Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP) Board has met to discuss the future of pharmacist accreditation and has made the decision to cease operation at the end of 2022.
This comes after an agreement was reached by the owners of the AACP, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) to transition the functions of the AACP to both owners.
The AACP Board has taken this decision after direction from the owners, in order to remove a potential barrier to maintaining and increasing the accredited pharmacist workforce and to support accredited pharmacists in a rapidly changing professional landscape.
In lieu of the AACP, PSA and PGA (through the Australasian College of Pharmacy (ACP)) will offer accreditation programs.
All existing AACP accreditations will remain valid.
AACP will continue to assess and offer initial accreditation to candidates, with those who are due to complete their accreditation before early 2023 able to complete their program with AACP.
Candidates currently completing Stage 2 will be offered a choice of either the PSA or the ACP programs from 2023. Both the PSA and the ACP have committed that no candidates currently in the Stage 2 process will be disadvantaged by transitioning to either the ACP or PSA if they have not completed their assessment by the end of 2022.
We encourage all pharmacists who are undergoing accreditation to continue their accreditation process with the AACP, with further guidance available from the AACP about transition arrangements in the coming weeks.
PSA and PGA are committed to supporting all accredited pharmacists. Support for accredited pharmacists will be available through PSA and ACP. Both organisations are working with AACP and their staff to ensure a seamless transition that offers a high standard of support.
PSA and PGA thank pharmacists for their ongoing support of AACP, and the AACP Board and staff for their hard work and dedication.
