Review of Schedule 8 of the Health Practitioners Act and the Pharmacy Premises Committee
In 2006, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to establish a single National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) for health professionals. However, under a Inter-Governmental Agreement of 2008, regulation of pharmacy premises and pharmacy ownership were to continue to be the responsibility of the States and Territories.
The implementation of the NRAS in the Northern Territory (NT) on 1 July 2010 required amendment to the Health Practitioners Act 2004 (HPA). This included transferring the regulation of pharmacy premises and pharmacy ownership under Schedule 8 of the HPA to the newly established Pharmacy Premises Committee.
In making these changes, the NT Government made a commitment to review the provisions of Schedule 8 of the HPA and the functions of the Pharmacy Premises Committee by February 2012.
The NT Department of Health appointed a consultant to carry out this independent review. The review has been completed and the findings are currently being considered by the NT Government.
Note: As of 1 July 2012, provisions perviously contained in Schedule 8 of the HPA are now contained in Schedule 7.
About the Committee
The Committee is established under Part 2A of the Health Practioners Act (the Act)
Functions of the Committee
- To administer Schedule 8 of the Act
- To monitor and investigate compliance with Schedule 8 and
- To prosecute offences against Schedule 8
- To advise the Minister on matters relating to the administration and enforcement of Schedule 8
- Other functions imposed by this or another Act
Membership of the Committee
Members are appointed by the Minister for Health. The Pharmacy Committee consists of 4 members. 3 must be persons who are pharmacists able to assist the Committee in performing its functions; and one must be a person who:
- (i) is not a pharmacist; and
- (ii) is able to represent the interests of patients and consumers of pharmacy services.
Pharmacy Premises Standards
The following standards have been reviewed and endorsed by the Pharmacy Premises Committee.
| Pharmacy Standards | Date |
|---|---|
Requirements for Pharmacy Business (Adobe PDF document - 261KB) | DOCX (22KB) | February 2012 |
Direct Supervision (Adobe PDF document - 49KB) | DOCX (15KB) | February 2012 |
| February 2012 | |
| February 2012 | |
| Ownership of Pharmacy (Adobe PDF document - 264KB) | DOCX (25KB) | February 2012 |
The Pharmacy Premises Committee endorses the following Pharmacy Board of Australia premises related guidelines for NT pharmacy businesses and services.
| Guidelines | Date |
|---|---|
| Automated Dose Packaging Systems | March 2012 |
Pharmacy Premises Self Assessment Form
The following assessment form has been developed to assess the compliance of Northern Territory pharmacy business and pharmacy service premises with the requirements of Schedule 8 of the Health Practitioners Act.
| Document | Date |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy Premises Self Assessment Form (Adobe PDF document - 114KB) | February 2012 |
Complaints
Complaints to the Pharmacy Premises Committee can be made using the form below. Additional information on the complaints management process can be found in the complaint guide below.
Links
For further details please contact:
Committee Registrar
Phone: (08) 8922 7341
Fax: (08) 8922 7200