53% of patients get their prescriptions when leaving their GP appointments, according to HealthEngine. The other 47% are individuals who can’t make appointments either due to lockdown or a lack of time. HealthEngine, in partnership with Chemist2U, is offering a solution to this problem by offering all its users free same-day prescription delivery.
The initiative is said to take effect in places like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and the company expects to add more locations in the coming weeks.
According to the company, “this solution delivers convenience and time savings, along with the needed medication. As telehealth use increases, script delivery plays an important role in closing the virtual journey as the patient sees the doctor online, receives an e-script, and is now able to have the prescription fulfilled and delivered without leaving the house.”
The option can be accessed through any Chemist2U local pharmacies or via the HealthEngine app.
HealthEngine is very pleased with the development, according to CEO, Marcus Tan. “As we help people navigate their healthcare, we’re excited about offering a new service that supports HealthEngine users after they leave their doctor with a paper prescription or e-script in hand,” he said.
The platform currently has more than 3.6 million users connecting to over 7,000 healthcare providers including GPs, dentists, and pharmacists.
Chemist2U is also thrilled with the partnership, and CEO Matthew Cullen describes it as a “natural extension of chemist2U’s vision to help make the customer experience with pharmacy both more digital and convenient.”
Read: Pharmacists urged to support patient weight management
New PSA guidelines on nicotine prescriptions
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has released new documents to support pharmacists as they transition to prescribing liquid nicotine for vaping to patients.
According to PSA Manager, Claire Antrobus, “These guidelines outline the pharmacist’s role in providing smoking cessation support and key requirements for dispensing nicotine vaping products, including counselling and safety considerations,” Antrobus said.
The guidelines were developed alongside the TGA, the RACGP, the Quit Victoria, NZ College of Psychiatrists, and the Royal Australian.
Currently, access must come through the Special Access Scheme or the Authorised Prescriber Scheme since there are currently no nicotine vaping products registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
The PSA educational modules can be viewers on the PSA website
The taxpayer shouldn’t pay for price slashes - CWH
Chemist Warehouse believes that the current plan to slash the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) general co-payment by more than 50% is unnecessary and will only cause general patients to pay more for PBS-listed medicines.
According to a CWH spokesperson, the latest round of price disclosure cuts would force CWH to increase prices for drugs such as cholesterol treatments, fenofibrate, and dutasteride, the benign prostatic hyperplasia drug. The other option would be to process them as private scripts.
Guild National President, Trent Twomey believes that while the reform would increase taxpayer expenditure in the short term, it would encourage savings in other areas.
“We don’t shy away from the fact that there will need to be an investment. But we know that there will be a saving to the Government, because of decreased preventable hospital presentations, even though there will be a gross increase in expenses for the PBS.”
Twomey also added that the Guild intends to assist the Government in securing savings by supporting the use of biosimilar medicines listed on the PBS.
Read: Rural and remote pharmacies set to begin Covid-19 Vaccine rollout
Frontline workers are considering a career change - Hiver
Research by Hiver, the digital bank, reveals that the safety concerns which surfaced during the Covid-19 pandemic have promoted some frontline healthcare workers to reconsider their career options.
The survey included nearly 760,000 essential workers, and it found that these individuals were dissatisfied due to multiple factors like the threats to personal safety at work, managing mental health, and the ongoing pandemic.
Results show that 20% of healthcare workers and 19% of frontline workers, including individuals in education and emergency services, considered a career change.
1 out of 2 healthcare workers also reported that their roles were now harder to fulfil due to the pandemic, with individuals in Victoria and NSW facing the greatest challenge due to the lockdowns.
“We know the responsibilities that essential workers are taking on are more intense than ever because of the pandemic… the people who face up to the very personal impacts of Covid-19 on a daily basis are telling us they are nearing a breaking point,” Carolyn Murphy, Hiver Chief Digital Bank Officer noted.
Read: GPs are key to border reopening
At Raven's Recruitment, we’ve been specialising in Pharmacist recruitment for a long time, so we have expert knowledge in the space. If you’re looking for an exciting opportunity to work as a locum pharmacist or want a permanent job, then look no further - get in touch with our Recruitment Consultants now.
