The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has partnered with the Tasmanian Government to help support palliative care patients stay at home and receive the care and medicines they need in a comfortable, familiar environment.
Announced by Health Minister Guy Barnett MP in Launceston today, the program supports community pharmacies across Tasmania to continuously stock essential palliative care medicines, ensuring these are available to patients across the state when needed.
PSA will deliver training in the provision of essential palliative care medicines for pharmacists and GPs as part of the program, ensuring the safe and quality use of medicines thanks to funding from the Tasmanian Department of Health.
PSA Tasmanian President David Peachey MPS said the joint approach demonstrated a commitment to improving palliative care for all Tasmanians.
“PSA is proud to be a part of this innovative program to improve services and support for palliative care patients within our community,” Mr Peachey said.
“Timely access to medicines to manage end of life symptoms is essential to a quality end of life journey for patients and their families. Palliative medications are needed within hours, not days, which is why it is so important that they are easily accessible within the community.
“Having more Tasmanian pharmacists educated and trained to supply palliative medicines means that we can make their safe and quality use more accessible to more people at the end of their lives,” Mr Peachey concluded.
PSA National President Dr Fei Sim FPS also welcomed the move, pointing to the growing role of pharmacists in palliative care following nation-wide consultation on the upcoming palliative care foundation training program.
“Upskilling local pharmacists in palliative care will increase the capacity of community palliative care teams, community pharmacists, and general practitioners to provide care to patients at the end of life,” she said.
“Pharmacists will increase collaboration and coordination of local palliative care services, reducing unnecessary hospital presentations.
“We look forward to evolving the support for pharmacists within the palliative care team as part of the ComPPaCT initiative,” Dr Sim concluded.
The pharmacist palliative care foundation training program will be available to all Australian registered pharmacists. More information and instruction on how to enrol will be communicated in 2024.
