Page 36 - Retail Pharmacy November/Decemeber 2020

34 ANNUAL REPORT program, telehealth arrangements and supporting e-prescription adoption through our support centre. It seems such a long time ago now, but in June this year, the 7CPA was signed by the Commonwealth, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and, for the first time, the PSA. Building on the important work that PSA has delivered in medicines safety, the agreement sets a platform for greater responsibility and accountability for medicines safety by pharmacists. This is a flexible agreement that is enabled to respond to the changing health policy landscape. No greater example of the value this industry adds Richard Vincent, Chair, NPSA As an industry, I’m proud to say, community pharmacy showed its true colours in 2020. We were put to the test as in no other year. The new year bushfires, floods and the outbreak of Covid-19 put the community and the medicine supply chain under intense pressure. I’m pleased to say that years of investment by NPSA \[National Pharmaceutical Services Association\] members, strategic thinking, rapid execution and a lot of hard work paid off. As bushfire flames and smoke left communities isolated in NSW and Victoria, our emergency plans for medicine supply came into force. Our teams worked around the clock with defence force personnel, government authorities and pharmacists to overcome the barriers. Our employees met military helicopters and naval barges with Applying every resource and measure to meet needs Elizabeth de Somer, CEO, Medicines Australia For the innovative medicines industry we end one of the most extraordinary years of our time close to uncovering transformative vaccines and new treatments to fight Covid-19, with tighter and aligned This has also been a year of reflection, with royal commissions into aged care and disability care, and the Productivity Commission review into mental health. The findings from these will shape the health landscape for the decade to come. The Australian government’s 10-year primary healthcare plan, and the National Preventive Health Strategy will provide an opportunity for pharmacists to be critically involved in determining the health of the nation into the future. We’ve ensured pharmacists are heard, considered and involved in how people are cared for in the future, and it will be medicine deliveries to reach some of the worst affected towns, including Eden, Mallacoota and Merimbula, and our drivers mapped out diversions of up to 500km to reach cut-off communities. When the pandemic unfolded, panic buying and international freight disruption brought shortages of certain medicines, placing enormous strain on pharmacists on the frontline. I’m pleased that NPSA members were able to deploy our expertise and systems to help manage this situation. We were proactive in initiating adjustments to the CSO deeds and executing solutions in consultation with government to provide minute-by-minute oversight of the flow of medicines into the community. Across the first two months of the pandemic, NPSA members delivered a record 70 million PBS medicines to pharmacies. Despite lockdowns, border controls and social restrictions, our 34 national distribution centres have remained operational with trucks rolling out across Australia 24 hours a day. Community pharmacy’s share of this year’s flu season vaccine was delivered strategies to manage our medicine supplies, deeper relationships with all stakeholders in health, and new ways to deliver diagnostics and healthcare to Australians and conduct clinical research. While Covid-19 brought significant adversities – we look back to take on the significant lessons only a global pandemic could bring – importantly, we have a renewed focus on the future and our nation’s recovery. On the back of the devastating bushfires, Covid-19 was a very fierce blow for Australia. Medicines Australia the leadership of the pharmacy profession that heralds new and expanded roles for pharmacists in the future. What we do know from 2020 is that nothing should be taken for granted, that we should support each other and our communities, and that pharmacists must grasp the opportunities that will come. I’m immensely proud of the contribution every pharmacist has made to the health and wellbeing of Australians over the past 12 months. It has been a year of immense challenge, and pharmacists have been equal to it. ahead of time and without impact on the storage or delivery of other cold-chain medicine. We remain active in providing advice to the government’s Medicine Shortages Working Group and have secured extended ACCC authorisation through to at least September 2021 allowing our members to work together to optimise the supply of medicines and vaccines. As the industry focuses on the distribution plan for an approved Covid-19 vaccine, the historic 7CPA, signed in June, has provided important ongoing funding for the investment in the vital infrastructure that underpins medicine and vaccine distribution. We remain committed to the task ahead. Finally, I want to acknowledge the pharmacists of Australia, their store teams and the 3400 dedicated staff across our NPSA distribution centres. Through this pandemic, you risked your own health to protect and support the communities and patients you serve. There’s no greater example of the value this industry adds. Thank you. and the innovative medicines industry moved urgently and immediately to the management of the medicines supply chain. Ensuring we had sufficient medicines to meet emergency demands in hospitals while maintaining supplies for general patient needs was our highest priority. Collaboration across all stakeholder groups was critical and rose to new levels of daily and even hourly interactions. Multiple supply strategies were implemented, including the Medicine Shortages Working Party, which worked tirelessly to track and assess supplies. RETAIL PHARMACY • NOV/DEC 2020