More help with medications through community pharmacies in Australia

The Australian government is supporting the expansion of community pharmacy programs to help more patients around the country better understand and manage their medications and avoid ill-health, Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced today.

Under the Increasing Patient Access to Medication Management Services measure in the Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement, the Turnbull government is providing A$600 million (~$460 million) to continue and expand a number of pharmacy programs.

Medicines are powerful tools in the fight against disease and infections. It’s important that people understand how their medications work, the correct dosage, how long they need to take them, and how they may interact with other prescribed or over-the-counter medicines. The programs help patients who are at greater risk of being unable to properly manage their medications.

The ‘MedsChecks’ and ‘Diabetes MedsChecks’ services provide an in-pharmacy review of eligible patients’ medications, focusing on education and self-management. This service is provided free of charge to patients.

From July 1, pharmacies who offer the service will be able to conduct up 20 MedsChecks/Diabetes MedsChecks per calendar month (up from the previous 10 checks per month). Pharmacies will also collect data on patients at the start of the service and at a six-month follow-up.