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Publications required in pharmacies in NSW

The Health Practitioner Regulation (New South Wales) Regulation 2016 adopts, in Schedule 5 (for pharmacy premises) and Schedule 6 (for professional services room premises) of the regulation, the latest editions , and all published amendments or supplements to those...

Applying the poisons legislation – practical tips

This article covers the practicalities surrounding the supply of Schedule 3 medications . Where to find critical information There are a few different sources of information which pharmacists need to be aware of in order to ensure they are fulfilling their...

Complaints to Council - Compounding of eye drops

Over the last months, the Council has received an increasing number of complaints relating to the compounding of eye drops in community pharmacies. Two examples are highlighted here: Case 1 A patient submitted a complaint to Ahpra complaining of blurred vision, dilated...

Introducing Rick Samimi – new Council member

In February, the Council welcomed Rick Samimi as a pharmacist practitioner member of the Council. Rick is a graduate of the University of Sydney and has been a registered pharmacist since 1991. He has completed a Master of Commerce (UNSW) and a Graduate Diploma in...

Tough love – mandatory notifications

Health practitioners are traditionally reluctant to make mandatory notifications for various reasons. These include a fear of becoming a part of a drawn out legal process or a perception that they are ‘dobbing in’ their peers or fellow health practitioners. It can be a...

Case Study - Your duty to be candid and honest

This month we draw your attention to a case involving a nurse who admitted to forging prescriptions on pads stolen from two medical practitioners. The prescriptions were for opioids and benzodiazepines, and the fact that they were forgeries was detected by the...

Practical tips – Emergency supply

My patient has run out of their medication and doesn’t have a script but needs the medication today. I don’t want them to go without - what are my obligations and what can I do? The issue of the request for or the supply of a medication without a physical prescription...

Council Message – March 2021

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2021, and on behalf of the Council, Happy New Year and all the best for 2021. On 1 February we saw the requirement for Active Ingredient Prescribing for PBS & RPBS prescriptions introduced under new legislation, with a 6-month...

From the Inspectors

AND WE DO CARE ABOUT YOU… Amidst the turmoil of bush fires and the COVID pandemic, your Pharmacy Council Inspectors have attempted to emulate the aspirations of the US Postal Service, that is, always getting through. Apart from a six week period in April/May when your...

Resources for proprietors

‘Where can I find this information?’ ‘I didn’t know this guidance was available to me.’ ‘I have never seen that advice before.’ These are phrases we at the Pharmacy Council of NSW hear repeatedly when speaking to pharmacists. When a concern has been raised in the form...

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