Disclaimer: This article was published in 2022 and reflects the information available at that time.
Pharmacists practising in Queensland are advised the UTIPP-Q pilot program has been extended. The following message to participating pharmacists from the Consortium managing the pilot outlines the extension.
Dear UTIPP-Q pharmacist,
Thank-you for your participation in the pilot so far. The implementation in Queensland has been a great success so far with over 9,000 women accessing the UTI treatment through Qld community pharmacies. The availability of the service at the right time and in the right place for women, coupled with the professional services provided by you and your colleagues has made this a service that has been extremely valuable to the community.
As you would be aware the current UTIPP-Q pilot extension was due to complete today, the 30th June 2022. A further extension has been granted as Queensland Health continues to work through the consultation and decision-making process to determine the next steps.
What does this mean for you?
- You will be able to continue to provide the UTIPP-Q service you currently provide in an approved UTIPP-Q pharmacy.
- You will need to continue to offer the service according to the UTIPP-Q protocol (there is no change in criteria).
- You will need to continue recording the service in the GuildCare module – including the required patient follow-up.
- If you change pharmacies, you will still need to ensure the new pharmacy is an approved UTIPP-Q site to be able to offer the service.
We appreciate the hard work of all UTIPP-Q pharmacists. Your dedication and commitment to the UTIPP-Q pilot has again highlighted the contribution and value pharmacists play in the health and healthcare of the Queensland community.
We look forward to your ongoing support in 2022 as we finalise this important work.
Other Queensland-related advice
The PDL Professional Officers continue to receive enquiries regarding the interpretation and application of the Medicines and Poisons (Medicines) Regulation 2021 (MPMR). It is understandable that significant changes to legislation takes time to be truly absorbed, however, PDL reminds pharmacists of the need to comply with the legislation.
To assist PDL members practising in Queensland, we have provided some useful links to a large number of supporting documents available for pharmacists. The main landing page for the MPMR is ‘Qld Health – New medicines, poisons and pest management regulatory framework‘. Within this page are links to the legislation, standards and extended practice authorities along with useful fact sheets and other documents.
The ‘Fact sheets and supporting documents‘ page is a valuable resource and PDL encourages pharmacists to bookmark this page and review the material. While not an exhaustive list, the following fact sheets have relevance for pharmacists and are often referred to PDL members.
Fact sheets on prescribing include:
- Writing lawful prescriptions
- Medical practitioners
- Interstate prescribing
- Prescribing psychostimulants
- Prescribing and dispensing unregistered medicinal cannabis products
- Image based prescriptions
- Offence to self-prescribe and/or self-administer high-risk medicines
Fact sheets relating to pharmacists and their responsibilities include:
- What pharmacists need to know
- Substance management plans (these are to be in place by 27 September 2022)
- Disposal and destruction of diversion-risk medicine waste (this explains how pharmacists can destroy and dispose of S8 medicines with a witness)
- Storage and record-keeping requirements for S8 medicines (this includes reference to the ability of an assistant to access a S8 cabinet under supervision in some circumstances)
There are several informative fact sheets and supporting documents for Monitored Medicines on the ‘Fact sheets and supporting documents‘ page, including reference to risk mitigation strategies for pharmacists and obligations for managing monitored medicines in community, public and private hospitals, aged care facilities and other facilities such as prisons.
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.
