The next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination service
The PDL Professional Officers have noted a recent reduction in the number of calls about the COVID-19 vaccination service. This is pleasing and a likely indication of reduced demands on pharmacists and a greater familiarity with the vaccination process. However, this phase of the pharmacy vaccination service brings other challenges. With the inclusion of the […]
QScript briefing
As pharmacists working in Queensland should be aware, integration of the QScript system into practice became mandated on Thursday, 28 October 2021. Legal and professional responsibility It is a pharmacist’s legal and professional responsibility to understand and comply with the new legislative and regulatory framework for the supply of monitored medicines. This applies to any pharmacist dealing with a monitored medicine in […]
PDL NSW/ACT and WA Directors re-elected
The PDL Director elections for the New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory seat as well as for Western Australia were held recently, with the two incumbents being re-elected by the members for a further four years. Announced at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 21 October, NSW/ ACT Director, Curtis Ruhnau, has been part […]
Vaccination administration, have you got it RIGHT?
PDL recognises the extraordinary efforts that pharmacists have made to provide COVID-19 vaccines to more than one million patients. It is very pleasing to report only a very small proportion of those vaccinations have included an incident. Greater awareness of areas of risk within the vaccination process, as mentioned in this alert, can hopefully minimise […]
Storage, handling and supply of Schedule 8 medicines
Most pharmacists would be aware that the Pharmacy Regulation Authority SA (PRASA) has been undertaking an inspection program of pharmacy premises for the last nine years. In that time, it is true to say that the overall level of performance of pharmacy premises against the nominated requirements has improved considerably. Pharmacists and their staff are […]
Latest PDL insights for COVID-19 vaccinations
The PDL Professional Officers continue to assist pharmacists with enquiries and incidents involving COVID-19 vaccines. Recent calls and reports have identified several consistent themes in these conversations with key preventative actions being the following. 1. ALWAYS check the AIR before vaccinating to confirm the patient’s age in years. The date of birth has been converted […]
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the 109th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Pharmaceutical Defence Limited will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting on Thursday, the 21st of October 2021 at 11:00am AEDT when the attendance of members is requested. This meeting has been called to discuss the following agenda and consider and vote on the Resolutions. […]
Be aware and prepare for expansion of vaccination services
Pharmacist vaccination services are continuing to expand and PDL urges all pharmacists to consider the risk assessment and risk mitigation strategies needed to prevent errors or incidents. Below are some of the most common areas of risk identified by the PDL Professional Officers. 1. Check the patient’s age The inclusion of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine in […]
Top 10 tips to avoid vaccination errors
The PDL Professional Officers are aware of some issues relating to COVID-19 vaccinations administered by community pharmacists. To help minimise the risk of an incident occurring, refer to our tips below. 1. Check the AIR BEFORE vaccinating Always check the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) BEFORE vaccinating to check the patient’s current vaccination status and interval between […]
PDL advice for members providing COVID-19 vaccinations
PDL has previously released Practice Alerts on Covid-19 vaccinations: Vaccinations 2021, on the 13th April discussing policy cover for vaccination services, including COVID-19 vaccines, and PDL Guidance on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, on the 7th July with advice regarding the administration of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to patients below 60 years of age. The alert sent to PDL […]
