Disclaimer: This article was published in 2022 and reflects the information available at that time.
Each year, PDL receives calls from pharmacists who have overlooked their Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) registration renewal. This may happen due to renewal reminders being quarantined in junk or spam folders, or changes to email and postal addresses and mobile numbers.
Ahpra attempts to contact lapsed registrants through all such means, but this can be unsuccessful. Allowing registration to lapse may result in some pharmacists inadvertently practising while unregistered, creating difficulties for the pharmacist.
As part of the renewal process, pharmacists are required to declare they have held professional indemnity (PI) insurance for the previous registration period and commit to retaining PI insurance for the upcoming registration period. These declarations are taken very seriously by the PBA, and ignorance of the declaration is not seen as an excuse for a pharmacist’s lack of compliance with the Registration Standard.
Any change to a pharmacist’s criminal history also needs to be declared to Ahpra. This may include charges and seemingly low-level offences. Failure to notify any change may have repercussions as Ahpra can check criminal records at any time. PDL’s advice is to report all matters and allow Ahpra to decide if it’s below the threshold.
The requirement to hold PI insurance to the PBA’s stated minimum value is mandatory whilst a pharmacist holds general or provisional registration. The PDL Master Policy covers the full scope of pharmacy practice and complies with the PBA’s requirements for PI insurance arrangements under the National Law.
Situations such as maternity leave, extended holidays or long service leave require a pharmacist to retain PI insurance. PDL is aware of cases where pharmacists were investigated as their PI insurance lapsed while they were overseas. Concessions are available from PDL for extended leave such as temporary leave of absence, which will ensure PI cover remains available.
Every year, Ahpra conducts random audits and pharmacists must provide proof of their insurance cover for a certain period. If you’re required to do so, the Certificate of Cover (Certificate of Currency) can be accessed via the PDL member portal under the ‘Update my details and access my documents’ section.
Registration renewal is due by 30 November. However, there is a one-month grace period until 31 December which incurs a late payment fee. PDL also reminds employers that it’s good governance to confirm all pharmacists’ registrations every year after the renewal period has closed.
For immediate advice and incident support, call PDL on 1300 854 838 to speak with one of our Professional Officers. We are here to support our pharmacist members 24/7.
