The Australian Government will provide almost $70 million direct to community pharmacies as part of its commitment to quality assurance in community pharmacy.
From April 2007, up to $5,000 a year will be provided to accredited community pharmacies improve their service to patients.
People who visit an accredited community pharmacy will have access to up-to-date professional information about their conditions and medications. These pharmacies will work to a customer charter designed to deliver the highest quality services and advice to their customers.
The changes to this program will continue to ensure that individual pharmacies have systems to give pharmacy staff up-to-date professional information and to enable pharmacists to provide expert advice.
The program forms part of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement between the Government and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
An additional $5.8 million has been allocated to the Guild and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to support community pharmacy in the uptake of the program.
The annual quality maintenance allowance replaces less frequent incentive payments provided under previous arrangements.
Pharmacies processing 20,000 prescriptions or fewer a year will receive the minimum of $3,000 a year, while those handling more than 65,000 prescriptions a year will receive $5,000 a year.
The Fourth Agreement provides up to $568 million in funding for pharmacy professional programs over the period of the Agreement, which runs from December 2005 to June 2010.