GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN MEDICINE SAFETY PROGRAMS DELIVERED BY PHARMACISTS Advocacy leads to Home Medicines Reviews and Residential Medication Management Reviews by telehealth
With
Brooke Shelly FPS, Board Director & PSA Strategic Agreements Lead
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | August 2026
Addressing delegates at PSA26, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) yearly conference, the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, announced negotiations are progressing on the First Pharmacy Programs Agreement (1PPA), and that from 1 November, follow-up services for Home Medicines Reviews (HMRs) and Residential Medication Management Reviews (RMMRs) programs will be able to be delivered via telehealth.
PSA National President, Professor Mark Naunton MPS, welcomed the announcement, declaring it an important step in modernising pharmacist-delivered care and improving patient access to medication safety programs, particularly for those in rural and remote Australia who may have limited access to healthcare.
Brooke Shelly FPS, PSA Strategic Agreements Lead and Board Director, spoke with Australian Health Journal, stating the announcement was an important step forward for the profession, with the ability for pharmacists to now use telehealth for follow ups aligning medicines safety programs more closely with other sectors of the health system.
“This reform reflects years of hard-fought advocacy from PSA and demonstrates what can be achieved when government and the profession work together with a shared focus on better patient outcomes,” Ms Shelly said.
“Medicines safety is fundamental to a stronger, safer health system. While we’re pleased to have greater flexibility in how these programs are delivered, there is still more to achieve, and today’s announcement provides a strong foundation for the work to come.
The announcement reflects the success of sustained advocacy by PSA and its members, together with constructive engagement with the Australian Government. PSA remains committed to working collaboratively with Government to progress the 1PPA.
Brooke Shelly FPS is a rural Victorian pharmacist with a dynamic portfolio career spanning General Practice, credentialed medication management and residential medication management reviews, and multidisciplinary telehealth. She is a GP Pharmacist at Ontario Medical Clinic, a Senior Clinical Pharmacist with Beyond Pain, and the sole proprietor of MyMedManagement, delivering complex medication and residential medication management reviews across regional and remote areas.
Source: Adapted from PSA media release, July 2026
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