Pre-Conference Workshops

Reconnect, reflect and celebrate the achievements of the first year of the MP Liaison Program. This closed session for MP Liaisons offers a valuable opportunity to share experiences, highlight what has worked well, and contribute ideas for further improvement so we can continue to grow capacity and deliver meaningful impact. A skill development component will also be provided (details to be announced), making this a practical and rewarding session for connection, learning and collaboration.

Cost: FREE. Morning tea included

THIS WORKSHOP IS INVITATION ONLY

As community pharmacy has become a central pillar of Australia’s primary healthcare system, accreditation expectations have evolved. Pharmacies now deliver vaccinations, conduct medicine checks, and support the management of acute and chronic conditions—requiring stronger governance and operational frameworks to ensure safe, high-quality care.

The transition from the Quality Care Pharmacy Program (QCPP) to the Quality and Safety Pharmacy Program (QSPP) reflects this shift. Aligned with Australian Community Pharmacy Standard AS85000:2024 and the National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards, the QSPP represents the next evolution in accreditation.

This interactive, in-depth workshop will support pharmacies on their path to certification and help maintain the highest standards of practice.

Moderator: Erica Vowles – Head of Quality and Safety, Quality Care Pharmacy Program

Following strong support and recent announcements from the Minns Labor Government, pharmacists in NSW now have expanded opportunities to practise to their full scope. This workshop is designed to help pharmacists understand these new opportunities and develop a practical, pharmacy level implementation plan to safely and sustainably deliver full scope services.

Workshop topics will include:

1. NSW legislative update on full scope:
   • Contraceptive initiation and NSW Government funding
   • Clinical accountability and legal obligations
   • NSW and AHPRA endorsement
2. Training pathways and requirements
3. Business planning for full scope:
   • Scope success through the Guild Business Support Package
   • NSW Government partnership program – Scope 2.0
4. Marketing your professional services
5. Insights from a full scope pharmacist
6. Interactive Q&A session

Are you an aspiring or current pharmacy owner looking to enhance your knowledge and skills? Join RSM Australia, CommBank Health and partners for an immersive workshop designed to provide a comprehensive 360-degree view on the essentials of pharmacy ownership and management. Whether you are just starting out or looking to refine your existing skills, this program will provide you with the knowledge and confidence to thrive as a pharmacy business owner. This workshop will cover:

• Due diligence – tips for best practice accounting due diligence when acquiring a pharmacy business
• Bank financing journey – navigate the complexities of applying for bank financing with confidence
• Accounting basics – understand how to evaluate financial statements, how this impacts the value of your pharmacy, and managing financial KPIs specific to your pharmacy.
• Utilising full scope of practice – discover how to leverage full scope of pharmacy practice to enhance your pharmacy business. Explore strategies to expand your services and improve patient outcomes
• Building and retaining great pharmacy teams – learn effective team-building techniques and retention practices to create a positive and productive work environment
• Utilising technology to improve pharmacy outcomes – explore innovative tools and systems that can enhance overall pharmacy performance and improve patient care

PHARMACIST ONLY WORKSHOP

The scope of pharmacist practice is ever expanding, and Harm Minimisation is at the forefront of change. Beyond oral opioid replacement treatments, it is now becoming common to see long-acting injectable buprenorphine administration at the local pharmacy which has allowed flexibility and engaged many living in regional and rural Australia. The use of illicit drugs continues to alarm and how pharmacists react to the new challenges provides opportunities to protect our communities. From tobacco to anabolic androgenic steroids, cannabis to synthetic opioids and ‘party drugs’ it is important that we are all informed pharmacists.

2.00pm – 2.15pm – Welcome & introduction
Moderator: Angelo Pricolo

2.15pm – 2.45pm – The Opioid Dependence Treatment Program – is this care or containment?
Speaker: Dr Marianne Jauncey – Medical Director, Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

2.45pm – 3.15pm – Steroid use and ROIDCheck
Speaker: Dr Timothy Piatkowski – Senior Research Fellow, The University of Queensland, Centre for Health Services Research

3.15pm – 3.45pm – Afternoon tea

3.45pm – 4.15pm – Clinical OTP guidelines: NSW perspective
Speaker: Dr Hester Wilson – GP & Addiction Specialist

4.15pm – 4.45pm – LAIB and the pharmacist
Speaker: Jalal Chami – Pharmacy Manager, Pharmacy 4 Less Parramatta

4.45pm – 5.30pm -The Great Debate – Party drugs should be available at your community pharmacy

This workshop is a must-attend for all employee and employer pharmacists to get a better insight to complexity of pharmacy regulations in NSW and how compliance, complaints and professional consequences intersect in everyday practice. With presenters from Pharmacy Council of NSW (PC), the Pharmaceutical Services Unit (PSU), and Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL), attendees will gain a clear, practical overview of the laws and regulations governing practice of pharmacy in NSW. The workshop will demonstrate how complaints are raised in terms of performance, conduct and health related issues, and how they may be escalated and the processes involved until a final resolution to the complaint is reached. The workshop will also aim to equip you with strategies to manage and minimise regulatory risks in your workplace and improve patient safety with case studies to demonstrate issues may trigger an investigation, how to respond to regulatory action if raised, and what steps you can take to improve and strengthen proprietor and clinical governance within your pharmacy in order to minimise regulatory issues.

Moderator: Rick Samimi – Community Pharmacist & President, Pharmacy Council of NSW

2.00pm – 2.10pm – Welcome & introduction
Speaker: Rick Samimi

2.10pm – 2.35pm
Speaker: Peter Andrews – Professional Officer, Advisor & Inspector, Pharmacy Council

2.40pm – 3.00
Speaker: Andrew Hargreaves – Director of Pharmaceutical Operations, NSW Ministry of Health

3.00pm – 3.30pm Afternoon Tea

3.35pm – 3.45pm – First session wrap and introductions

3.45pm – 4.10pm
Speaker: Naomi Lim – Professional Officer, PDL

4.15pm – 4.30pm
Speakers: Karen Prstec – Director, PBS Compliance Section, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing & Hyunji Yoon – Assistant Director, PBS Compliance Section, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

4.30pm to 5.00pm Q&A Panel

5.00pm – 5.15pm Session wrap