Pharmacy ownership requires a lot of sacrifice, and aspiring owners need to be “hands-on in all aspects” of the business, Gordon Ngan tells our podcast AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with Victorian community pharmacist, Gordon Ngan, about pharmacy ownership. The topics covered include: Ngan’s journey to ownership ( 2 min 44) The “steep…

Why has it been tricky getting into general practice to date? How does a pharmacist juggling many balls know which ones can and cannot be dropped? And what does the 8CPA mean for rural health? Consultant pharmacist of the year Brooke Shelly talks with AJP Podcast Carlene McMaugh about her “portfolio career” – what it’s like wearing many hats, from …

The Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement will provide the profession with opportunities to play a greater role in the provision of healthcare, Bruce Annabel says AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with pharmacy business consultant and AJP columnist, Bruce Annabel, about the 8CPA, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Strategic Agreement…

Does the 8CPA mean that community pharmacy is out of the 60-day dispensing woods? And how will scope of practice change how pharmacists work – and how owners manage resources? AJP Podcast presenter Carlene McMaugh talks with pharmacist and Capital Chemist CEO Andrew Topp about how he – and the pharmacists working and owning across the Capital group…

Dr Fei Sim, PSA national president, talks about the first ever agreement with the government on pharmacist’s professional practice programs, and what this means for the profession In this special episode of the AJP podcast, Dr Fei Sim, national president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) speaks to Carlene McMaugh about a radical chan…

“I love the blend of caring for patients but also having to run a business at the same time,” pharmacy entrepreneur Pasquale DeMaria tells our podcast “I love the hustle and bustle of it,” DeMaria says, telling host Carlene McMaugh about his work in pharmacy ownership, in bookkeeping – and after a major life event, in maintaining work-life balance.…

Judith Singleton talks about what pharmacists, and pharmacies, can do to reduce their impact on the environment, and reduce the impact of pharmaceuticals In this episode of the AJP podcast, Dr Judith Singleton, from the School of Clinical Sciences, QUT, talks to host, Carlene McMaugh, about improving sustainability in the health care system and red…

PDL professional officer Kylie Neville discusses the issues pharmacists face when it comes to medicinal cannabis, with our podcast In the latest edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to Neville about the risks pharmacists face when dealing with medicinal cannabis. The topics covered include: Risk areas for pharmacists dispen…

Funding pharmacists to play a bigger role in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s healthcare could deliver improved outcomes while saving money, pharmacist Atinuke Abraham from the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, tells our podcast. In the latest edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to Abraham, about the oppor…

Pharmacy is a resilient sector, Blake Hedley tells the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh – with plenty of valuable advice for those worried about the future, and their role within it Blake Hedley, who works at Hedley Partners with his father Paul – and between the two, they have around 60 years’ worth of advisory experience to pharmacists – talks about…

“We’re in a messy phase,” as rural pharmacies are overwhelmed by shortages —of staff and medicines—and dealing with uncertainty thanks to the 8CPA “limbo”, says locum Echuca pharmacist in charge Shonae Zeman, who’s doing locum work after a year outside pharmacy, talks with the AJP Podcast’s host Carlene McMaugh about the key role of rural and regio…

Dr Amy Page, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA’s) Victorian branch president, talks about the state’s pharmacy pilot and the opportunities it provides pharmacists In the latest edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to Page about the expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice in Victoria and around the country. …

“This is how we are going to apply the pressure,” CAPS spokespeople tell the AJP Podcast, explaining why the group has moved away from political rallies and towards influencing elections CAPS representatives will attend the Dunkley (Victoria) by-election this weekend (2 March) to lobby against a Labor vote in protest against 60-day dispensing – and…

A UK pharmacy leader talks about the ‘paradigm shift’ of independent prescribing and what it means for the profession’s future As the countdown nears for the graduation of the UKs first cohort of students to come out as independent pharmacy prescribers, a leader of the profession joins our podcast to talk about the ‘paradigm shift’ this represents …

Paul Sinclair, the first Australian president of the International Pharmacy Federation (FIP) talks about the future of the profession and the changes he sees impacting pharmacy In the latest edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to FIP president Paul Sinclair about the The topics covered include: What are some of the importa…

A sense that pharmacists would be at least recognised for their hard work during the pandemic and natural disasters was sharply reversed last year, AJP editor Chris Brooker tells our podcast Brooker talks to Carlene McMaugh about the top stories from last year, including “the unicorn of 2023” – double dispensing – and the way it came as a shock to …

PSA’s Fei Sim looks back over the events of 2023, which rocked every facet of the profession in Australia “I really think that when we look back in history, 2023 is a year that I would describe as a ‘monumental year’,” says Dr Fei Sim, national president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. “There have been a lot of conversations about fundi…

Steve Morris, PSA CEO, talks about why we need to examine what quality use of medicines actually means, and why and where pharmacists should be playing a greater role In the latest AJP podcast, Steve Morris, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia talks to our host, Carlene McMaugh, about quality use of medicines: what it means, why its misu…

AJP podcast host speaks to PDL’s Gary West about the key questions pharmacists had over the past year – and forecasts some challenges and opportunities for 2024 Senior professional officer at PDL Gary West says that pharmacists have shown significant interest over 2023 in deferring and declining supply, which he says is partly related to the 60-day…

SHPA national president Tom Simpson talks about the paradigm shift to pharmacy career recognition offered by their new advanced practice college Earlier this year, SHPA launched the new Australian and New Zealand College of Advanced Pharmacy (ANZCAP), a body designed to offer recognition to the myriad of specialist areas of practice within pharmacy…

“One of the most interesting years in pharmacy”: Tom Simpson talks practice change, collaborative prescribing and other developments in hospital and clinical pharmacy SHPA national president Tom Simpson joins our podcast to discuss what he describes as “one of the loudest, most interesting years in pharmacy for a long time”. Covering some of the ke…

Community pharmacy owners need to be proactive in maintaining the viability of their stores, with the 8CPA unlikely to be a cure-all for the sector, Capital Chemist Group chief executive, Andrew Topp says In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to Topp about the impacts the government’s 60-day dispensing policy is having on community pharmacies, an…

Conversations around the future direction of the pharmacy profession need to include the voices of young pharmacists, Ayomide Ogundipe the PSA Early Career Pharmacist board director, says. In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to Ogundipe about early career pharmacists’ (ECPs) views on the issues impacting the profession and its future. Among the…

Double dispensing is falling short of its aims, and causing tension between patients and their healthcare practitioners, leaders of CAPS claim In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to Christine Kelly and Emil Demyane from the Community and Pharmacy Support Group (CAPS) about the organisation’s ongoing campaign against the federal government’s 60-…

When they see a gap where pharmacy skills are missing, pharmacists should “absolutely go for it” and follow their passions, one pharmacist says Yvette Anderson, clinical accredited pharmacist in Bendigo, talks to the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh about her lived and professional experience with neurodivergence, non-traditional pharmacist roles and …

Angus Thompson talks about the state of the Home Medicine Review program and the ongoing debate over its funding In this edition of the AJP podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to Angus Thompson, a Tasmanian accredited pharmacist and academic. Key topics are the debate over the funding of Home Medicine Reviews (HMRs) and how this will fit int…

In this episode of the AJP Podcast, host Carlene McMaugh speaks to harm reduction experts about the way changes to opioid dependence therapy were made – and how pharmacy reacted Sarah Lord and Sione Crawford of Harm Reduction Victoria discuss the change to ODT funding, which Lord describes as “really monumental”. But “one of the issues was that no …

Fei Sim says that now 60 day dispensing is here, pharmacists need to start working toward the future In the latest AJP podcast, PSA national president, Dr Fei Sim, talks to Carlene McMaugh about how she perceives the immediate future direction for community pharmacy. With the community pharmacy sector having spent four months in the “60 day dispens…

Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin speaks about pharmacy’s road to full scope of practice In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to the NSW government’s clinical pharmacy trials chief investigator, Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin about what expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice will entail. Among the topics covered are: (2 min:30) common changes pharmacists acros…

Deborah Hawthorne talks about the new role of the embedded aged care pharmacist In this podcast, our host, Carlene McMaugh, speaks to award-winning consultant pharmacist Deborah Hawthorne, about the beginning of the embedded aged care pharmacy role. Saying she’s “excited about the role”, Hawthorne says there will be “lots of confusion and lots of n…

Ahead of next week’s planned Canberra protest, the AJP podcast talks to CAPS volunteers about their fears for the future of the profession due to 60-day dispensing Sydney community pharmacists Christine Kelly and Emil Demyane speak with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about how the Community and Pharmacists Support Group plans to fight the controv…

Working in GP pharmacy is all about the relationships, says an award-winning consultant pharmacist AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh talks with rural Victorian pharmacist and wearer of “many hats” Debbie Hawthorne, who works in a GP clinic as well as in research, with her local PHN, in telehealth, clinical consulting and several other roles. Hawthor…

Many pharmacies have concerns about the viability of opioid dependence therapies as a result of the recent changes at short notice, Jarrod McMaugh tells the AJP Podcast Victorian branch manager for the Pharmaceutical Society, and its subject expert on harm reduction and opioid dependence therapy, Jarrod McMaugh speaks to AJP Podcast host Carlene Mc…

PSA national president Dr Fei Sim talks about the latest developments with 60-day dispensing, opioid policy and more AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh speak to Fei Sim about some of the more recent developments in the pharmacy policy agenda. Among the topics covered are: The latest developments in the 60-day dispensing saga Reaction to the Office of…

Angelo Pricolo speaks about his experiences in treating addiction, his thoughts on the ‘War on Drugs’ and his thoughts on the future of harm minimisation In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks to regular AJP contributor Angelo Pricolo about his varied career , including his pioneering and leading role in addiction medicine, as well as his time wit…

One pharmacy owner tells the AJP Podcast about his fears for the future of the opioid dependence therapy program via community pharmacy Morwell, Victoria pharmacy owner Sam Armstrong talks to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about how changes to opioid dependence therapy went into action on 1 July – starting with how the software his two pharmacies…

60-day dispensing has “essentially blown up” the Seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement mid-term, says Anthony Tassone Guild Victorian branch president Anthony Tassone speaks to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about the latest developments in 60-day dispensing – including the announcement of the first tranche of medicines to be affected by the polic…

Rural pharmacy owner and former young pharmacist of the year Taren Gill gets “fired up” about the changes to opioid dependence therapy, and the impact on rural and regional pharmacy of 60-day dispensing Taren Gill, who owns a pharmacy in Victoria’s western region – in the state’s lowest socioeconomic shire – talks to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaug…

Michael Bonner, clinical pharmacist, pharmacy owner and CEO of Choice Aged Care, talks to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about the “seismic” policy change of 60-day dispensing He’s confident that in the long term, 60-day dispensing will not be catastrophic, but potentially result in a “positive outcome” for the community pharmacy network and pati…

Chief pharmacist with the Capital Chemist Group Andrew Topp talks about the lack of consultation surrounding 60-day consulting, and questions the competence of decision-makers Speaking to Carlene McMaugh for the AJP Podcast, Topp said that the senior staff who run the Health Department, “Quite frankly…do not understand this at all”. “It’s pretty go…

Kay Dunkley, executive officer of the Pharmacists’ Support Service, talks about the impact of 60-day dispensing on individual pharmacists From a potential reduction in employment opportunities, to having to manage the expectations (and misunderstandings) of the general public, pharmacists on the front line will have a lot to deal with, Dunkley tell…

Pharmacy Guild of Australia national vice president, Anthony Tassone, calls on the government to return to the table to discuss ways to address concerns about 60-day dispensing, on the AJP Podcast Speaking with Carlene McMaugh, Tassone warned that community pharmacies were already planning to cut a range of services, to offset the forecast losses s…

What will 60 day dispensing mean to those at the coalface? Independent pharmacy owner Natalie Kopas talks about what it will mean to her, her staff and her patients What will be the day-to-day impacts of the government’s 60 day dispensing announcement? In this AJP Podcast, Carlene McMaugh talks to Victorian independent pharmacy owner Natalie Kopas …

Carlene McMaugh speaks with PDL Professional Officer Gary West about double dispensing, potential risks and how to get prepared West says that while PDL does not take the representative stance of organisations like the Guild or PSA, it “obviously” has concerns about double dispensing, outlining two potential problems in detail. He says there has be…

Manya Angley talks about the recent announcement of plans to ‘flip’ previous funding proposals for pharmacists in aged care facilities In this podcast, advanced practice pharmacist Manya Angley discussed the federal government’s recent revelation that it plans to reverse previous funding proposals for the ‘Onsite Pharmacists in Aged Care Facilities…

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh speaks with PSA national president Dr Fei Sim about the announcements of both 60-day dispensing and funding for aged care services – both of which came as a “surprise” to the PSA Sim tells McMaugh that when it comes to double dispensing “there was a lack of consultation with the profession” – specifically, the PSA, …

John Evans discusses how pharmacy can find its new generation of leaders – and keep the existing ones in a profession under pressure In this episode of the AJP podcast, Carlene McMaugh speaks with John Evans, general manager, pharmacy services, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania for ICON Group Pharmacy, part of ICON cancer care. He’s also the Vict…

Simon Bell talks about the growing opportunities for pharmacists to work in aged care settings, medication safety and developing guidelines In this episode of the AJP podcast, Carlene McMaugh talks to Simon Bell, director of the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety at Monash University, Vic. Among the topics Simon, a pharmacist and researcher, talks …

Suzanne Nielsen talks about substance use disorder and the role of pharmacists in addiction medicine In this episode of the AJP Podcast, Professor Suzanne Nielsen, pharmacist and head of the Addiction Research Centre at Monash Univeristy, speaks to Carlene McMaugh about her career in harm reduction medicine and research, and key issues around the t…

Richard Lim talks about his career in pharmacy, his work in local council and his role in community groups and philanthropy In this podcast, Carlene McMaugh talks to Richard Lim, owner of Lim’s Pharmacy in Springvale, Vic. Richard set up the pharmacy in 1991 after previously working in hospital pharmacy. Since then he has combined what he says is a…