This year's Pharmacy Connect offers three pre-conference workshops on harm minimisation, how to protect your pharmacist registration and full scope of practice, providing an in-depth look at these important subjects.
Pharmacy Connect is the Pharmacy Guild of Australia's key event in the second half of the year and is being held on 1-3 September at the Hilton Sydney. The pre-conference workshops will be held from 2:00pm on Thursday 1 September.
Workshop one will explore the use of licit and illicit drugs (and habits) and the mechanisms available to pharmacists to keep communities safe. It will also explore new treatments for opioid addicted patients who are prescribed prescription pain killers after surgery or traumatic events.
Topics covered will include smoking cessation and vaping, the safe use of paracetamol, LAIB, and safe injecting practices.
The workshop will feature leading speakers in the field including smoking cessation expert Dr Colin Mendelsohn, addiction medicine specialist Dr Hester Wilson, poisons specialist Dr Rose Cairns and sexual health physician Dr Phillip Read.
Workshop two, titled 'How to protect your most valuable business asset – your registration', will focus on the role of the Pharmacy Council of New South Wales and how it interacts with other regulators to protect the public.
Session topics will include the complaints process, which issues land business owners in the most trouble, tips to minimise regulatory exposure, real life experiences from the regulatory coalface and the importance of professional autonomy.
Speakers include Professional Officer for the Pharmacy Council of New South Wales, Georgina Woods, Director of the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Unit for the NSW Ministry of Health, Bruce Battye, Executive Director Complaint Operations for the Healthcare Complaints Commission, Tony Kofkin and PDL Professional Officer, Jess Hadley.
The third workshop on offer will provide an overview of where Australian pharmacy practice is on its journey to full scope of patient care services and will outline the role each of us will play in achieving full scope.
The workshop will commence with a presentation by a former Canadian Independent Prescribing Pharmacist, Sara Kemp, who will cover the benefits of full scope of practice and provide an overview on what is happening in other countries around the world. The workshop will continue with a panel discussion, followed by an audience Q&A.
