The Vision of Catherine Bronger for the next ten years.

When elected, Catherine Bronger will run for the Pharmacy Viability Committee, which will negotiate upcoming Community Pharmacy Agreements, and your input will be valued


I believe it is vital that Community Pharmacy is strengthened in Australian Healthcare in three ways.

1. Securing relationships

From my experience in negotiating the last Community Pharmacy Agreement, I have been able to identify significant areas of improvement. More importantly, I have understood the importance of thorough preparation for such negotiation. Strengthening our relationships with public health groups, industry and governments is vital. In order to achieve a win-win-win, Community Pharmacy Agreements must benefit all. COVID-19 has helped to uncover our worth and, before it is brushed aside, this revelation must be capitalised on now and more so moving forward.

2. Fulfilling scope of practice

Immunisation

We saw a boom in immunisation and we are now truly immunisers. I will take the major position on immunisation, as the days of antibiotics are passing. We must immunise for travel, COVID-19 and others that will follow.

Disease State Positioning

Chronic patients are our future, however we are not simply medication managers. We are lifestyle changers and when they feel threatened, much like during COVID-19, we are their carers at home.

Disability

Community Pharmacy must become a major force in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, as this space caters to those with chronic diseases, which is both a sustainable and practical pathway for our industry moving forward.

Funding Checks

I am vehemently opposed and will take a stand against the leaking of Community Pharmacy funding outside of Community Pharmacy to nursing homes and general practice.

Scheduling Of Medicine

I will continue to defend the open scheduling of medicines that are inappropriate and support more medicines into pharmacist prescribing schedule 3.

Guild Secretariats Across National and States

We ought to have a highly qualified team of Guild employees, who are primed in a nimble fashion to seize health opportunities that may arise. This means staff in the Guild must be for the benefit of Members, with a performance review of the current structure.

Ownership

Ownership must remain in the hands of Community Pharmacists.

3. Obtaining additional funding

The pharmacy industry needs immediate access to low-cost funding to retool pharmacies to meet new potential demands. These should not involve complex cross-securitisation and the funding must be found in cooperation with banks and other institutions.