*Disclaimer: This article was published in 2020 and reflects the information available at that time.
PDL reminds all members that Ahpra renewal of registration is due by the end of this month (November 2020).
We offer this reminder as PDL is contacted every year by a few pharmacists who have neglected to renew their registration. This seems to occur if contact details such as email addresses, postal addresses or mobile numbers have changed. While we understand Ahpra does remind pharmacists of the renewal window, it is the pharmacist’s obligation to renew their registration.
If the renewal is not completed in the renewal window and the pharmacist is therefore not registered, they must immediately cease all work until such time as renewal can be completed.
As expected, the impact of this action is significant for many people. This includes an immediate cessation of any work leading to staffing issues, an explanation to Ahpra about the reason for practising while not registered, a reapplication for registration and potential delays while the application is assessed and finalised.
PDL recommends that pharmacists and pharmacy owners have a process of annually updating the pharmacist registration records at the beginning of December to ensure this situation is prevented.
New declaration
PDL advises pharmacists of a change to the registration renewal process from this year. The renewal process now includes a declaration relating to compliance with requirements for advertising of health services under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law. While this may not relate to many pharmacists, PDL recommends pharmacists who may be associated with any form of advertising or promotion check the Pharmacy Board Guidelines for Advertising Regulated Health Services.
One of the areas of the Guidelines that PDL would like to bring to the attention of pharmacists is regarding the use of testimonials. The Guidelines preclude the use of a testimonial about a service or business in a source of information controlled by the pharmacist. This would include testimonials on social media sites.
The Guidelines state “Health practitioners should therefore not encourage patients to leave testimonials on websites health practitioners control* that advertise their own regulated health services and should remove any testimonials that are posted there.” (*PDL underlining).
For context, the Guidelines state “a testimonial includes recommendations, or statements about the clinical aspects of a regulated health service.” (*PDL underlining).
PDL Policy cover and benefits
The professional indemnity policy provided by PDL covers everything in the scope of pharmacy and meets the requirements for pharmacist registration as set by the Pharmacy Board of Australia. If your Ahpra registration lapses, you will not be covered under the PDL Master Policy.
PDL membership entitles members to 24/7 assistance with professional practice issues, incidents, and complaints. Risk management advice including practice alerts, resources, and guides such as the Guide to Good Dispensing, Guide to Incident Management is also available to members via the PDL members portal.
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, Australia-wide.
