The New South Wales (NSW) government has announced a plan to improve access to important medications and treatments, including the contraceptive pill and UTI treatments, as part of a 12-month trial period. The initiative will help people, particularly women, access these prescriptions and treatments more quickly and easily.
The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s pharmacy plan will enable patients to book online to see a pharmacist or walk into their local pharmacy to get the care they need. The plan will also cover the cost of the patient consultation fee for the treatment of UTI and the contraceptive pill.
Many pharmacists already help women in need of emergency contraception, so extending the scope of what they can prescribe enhances their role in providing this care. The community pharmacist has an important role to play in providing healthcare, and allowing them to do more will benefit patients and help ease the pressure on other healthcare providers, including GPs and hospitals.
The NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s pharmacy plan will make a huge difference to women across the state, particularly those living in rural and regional NSW. The GP shortages in the bush are blowing out appointment wait times to days and even weeks. This reform will ease the pressure on primary care and ensure women are able to get the help they need when they need it.
NSW Health will work with participating pharmacists who will be required to undertake additional training to ensure safe prescribing practices. The NSW government has partnered with the University of Newcastle to design and implement the clinical trial. Data gathered from the clinical trial will be used to inform any future changes to the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system.
Furthermore, this presents an excellent opportunity for pharmacies to participate in recycling programs given the increased amount about of visits to pharmacies. By having recycling points for blister packs in pharmacies, it will be more convenient for patients to do their part while paying frequent visits to the pharmacy. Programs like Pharmacycle will help to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and encourage patients to adopt more sustainable practices in their daily lives. By participating in this program, pharmacists will not only be providing healthcare services but also contributing to a cleaner and greener environment.
To coincide with National Recycling Week, members of the local community can drop their used blister packs in co-branded receptacles in their nearest Blooms The Chemist pharmacy from Monday 7 November.
Blooms The Chemist is the first pharmacy brand to launch this initiative across its entire network of more than 110 stores.
“More and more, our customers are telling us they want to be able to recycle common household medicinal waste,” says Pamela Bishop, Blooms The Chemist’s Chief Operating Officer.
“We want to lead the pharmacy industry by example on environmental issues like recycling blister packs, which is why Blooms The Chemist is excited to be partnering with Pharmacycle to offer our local communities a complete recycling solution. Additionally, it ensures our stores can recycle blister pack waste generated from their dispensary service.
“This program helps Blooms The Chemist reduce our carbon footprint and supports our local communities to do the same,” adds Bishop.
With a future vision where all Australians can recycle common household medical and healthcare related products and devices, Pharmacycle is the only full recycling solution for medical blister pack waste from start to finish, giving consumers peace of mind that their recycling efforts will not go to waste.
Pharmacycle has tapped into the demand for better recycling practices for pharmaceutical waste, and through partnerships like Blooms The Chemist, it can meet rising consumer expectations.
Jason Rijnbeek, Pharmacycle’s Business Development Manager, says this is only the beginning and that the company has ambitious growth plans.
“By the end of 2023, Pharmacycle will have at least five hundred drop-off locations right across Australia so every single person can recycle blister packs easily and conveniently,” he says.
Once collected, blister packs are transported to one of Pharmacycle’s local processing facilities, and through a series of mechanical recycling methods the aluminium is separated from the plastic and later turned into a range of new products.
Ms Bishop has a deep understanding of the industry’s environmental impact, having worked in pharmacy for over 20 years.
“Blooms The Chemist is proud to be the first pharmacy brand in Australia to launch this initiative with Pharmacycle across our entire network, which allows for maximum program impact. We’re committed to contributing to a healthier planet and a healthier future for all Australians,” she says.
Transparency is something Pharmacycle prides itself on, ensuring that all materials collected are recycled in the truest sense – that it is not just collected, but also properly processed.
Pharmacycle’s Recycling Operations Manager, Nicholas Klapsogiannis, acknowledges pharmacies can lead by example on recycling medicinal blister packs, as sufficient volumes are required to warrant the use of specialised recycling technology.
“Blister packs are a real problem for households because they cannot be recycled in household recycling and often end up in that stream as contaminants. That’s why this new partnership with Blooms The Chemist is important because it provides the mechanism to achieve a better outcome for environmental impact,” he says.
“By activating drop-off locations right across Australia, we’re making it easy for the public to participate, and that’s important because our research indicates local communities are engaged and ready to get on board.”
In NSW alone, plastic packaging and single use plastic items make up 60% of all litter. In a single person’s lifetime, the plastic does not break down and causes harm to our natural environment. Without programs like Pharmacycle and the support of Australian pharmacies such as Blooms The Chemist, hard-to-recycle waste items will continue to negatively impact our environment and ultimately the health of the Australian population.
Blooms The Chemist is a network of more than 110 pharmacies operating in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, NT and WA, providing local communities with friendly expert advice and professional service. Operating for more than 40 years, Blooms The Chemist is passionate about providing local communities with the highest level of care, delivered through genuine relationships, personalised advice, and a wide range of health services and quality products at the best possible price. The Blooms The Chemist team is proud to be a truly community-minded network of pharmacies, putting people first in everything we do. Website: www.bloomsthechemist.com.au or find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @bloomsthechemist
This year’s World Pharmacists Day theme “United in action for a healthier world” aims to showcase pharmacy’s positive impact on health around the world and to further strengthen solidarity among the profession.
There are many improvements to health and wellbeing of which the pharmacy profession can be proud.
FIP president Mr Dominique Jordan says that pharmacists should be proud of their contributions under The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 3 covering a number of health targets, including non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and mental health) and communicable diseases (for example, HIV, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases).
Nevertheless, the sector now faces the task of restoring essential health services that have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic when more people have been unable to get health check-ups, vaccinations and even urgent car
Decades of improvements in health outcomes are under threat of reversal. If universal health coverage is to become a reality by 2030, growth in the provision and use of essential health services must greatly accelerate. Pharmacy — through its many sectors and areas of expertise — is vital to this vision!
Learn more on the official International Pharmaceutical Federation FIP website
What is the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)?
The founder of World Pharmacists Day, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is the global body representing pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and pharmaceutical education. Through their 144 national organisations, academic institutional members and individual members, they represent millions of pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and pharmaceutical educators around the world. FIP is a non-governmental organisation with its head office in the Netherlands. Through their partnerships and extensive pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences network, they work to support the development of the pharmacy profession, through practice and emerging scientific innovations, and through developing the pharmacy workforce in order to meet the world’s health care needs and expectations.
Why is there a celebration called World Pharmacist Day?
The purpose of World Pharmacists Day, which was brought to life at the FIP Council 2009 in Istanbul, is to encourage activities that promote and advocate for the role of the pharmacist in improving health in every corner of the world. Pharmacists are the reason why people get the best from their medicines, they are using their experience, knowledge, and expertise to make the (medical) world a better place for everybody. Moreover, they give access to medicines, advise people on how to properly take them and so much more.
Why is it celebrated on September 25?
The Turkish members of FIP suggested the Date because the FIP was established on the same day in 1912.
Support and education has been delivered to more than 23,000 businesses and retailers around the state ahead of the upcoming 1 November single use plastic bans in NSW, with information delivered in 15 different languages.
Minister for Environment James Griffin said to ensure small businesses are primed for more changes this year, the NSW Government engaged the National Retail Association (NRA) to deliver a massive retailer education campaign.
“Single-use plastic is an environmental disaster, which is why we’re banning some of the most problematic plastics such as bags and straws in NSW,” Mr Griffin said.
“Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW, and the bans will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years.
“These bans require businesses, many of which are in hospitality and retail, to change their supply chains, and I’m pleased to see so many have already moved away from plastic items well before the additional bans come into place in November.
“These single-use plastic bans are just the beginning of a major move away from plastic in NSW, and we’re making sure businesses have the information they need to stop using plastics and start using environmentally friendly options.”
From November, the NSW Government is banning single-use items including
This comes after lightweight single-use plastic bags were banned in NSW from 1 June.
On behalf of the NSW Government, the NRA has already delivered support about the single-use plastic bans to more than half of the 40,000 target businesses, and visited more than 560 retail precincts of the 650 target around the state since February.
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said the NSW Government is ensuring everyone, especially small business owners in diverse communities, are ready when the change comes into effect.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy, and we want to ensure everyone knows what they need to do so they are set up for success,” Mr Coure said.
“We also know that many business owners in diverse areas play an integral role in helping inform their broader community about what is happening and what actions they need to take.
“That’s why we’re assisting business owners with in-language services about the single-use plastic bans in 15 different languages, so they know what to do and can also support their communities through this important change.”
Figure 1. Global production, use, and fate of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives (1950 to 2015; in million metric tons).
The only way to permanently eliminate plastic waste is by destructive thermal treatment, such as combustion or pyrolysis. Thus, near-permanent contamination of the natural environment with plastic waste is a growing concern with global evidence of plastic debris has been found in all major ocean basins (1) as well as in freshwater systems and land habitats. Plastic waste is now so ubiquitous in the environment that it has been suggested as a geological indicator of the proposed Anthropocene era (2). There are essentially three different fates for plastic waste.We are excited to announce a new initiative in the Geelong community aimed at addressing the issue of blister pack waste. The program, spearheaded by
NSW Government Fast-tracks Plan to Improve Access to Contraceptive Pill and UTI Treatments The New South Wales (NSW) government has announced a plan to improve
Blooms The Chemist today announced a new partnership with recycling specialists Pharmacycle, so people in the local community can recycle their medicinal blister packs. To
A day to celebrate the 4 million pharmacists worldwide. This year’s World Pharmacists Day theme “United in action for a healthier world” aims to showcase
Access to education initiatives [extract from epa.nsw.gov.au] Support and education has been delivered to more than 23,000 businesses and retailers around the state ahead of
Easy to make, hard to get rid off. A world without plastics seems unimaginable today, yet their large-scale production and use only dates back to
2022 © Pharmacycle. An Empirical Website.
