AMA Raises Patient Safety Concerns Over Pharmacist Prescribing Proposal
06 Aug 2026
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has raised concerns about proposed accreditation standards for pharmacist prescribing education, saying stronger safeguards are needed to protect patient safety before the changes move ahead.
The comments were made in the AMA’s submission to the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) as part of its review of accreditation standards for pharmacist prescriber education programs. The review is intended to support the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s planned scheduled medicines endorsement for pharmacists.
The AMA acknowledged several positive elements in the proposal, including higher education requirements, greater emphasis on collaborative care, improved cultural safety, recognition of conflicts of interest and alignment with the National Prescribing Competencies Framework.
However, the AMA said there is still limited evidence to support autonomous pharmacist prescribing in community pharmacies. It referred to findings from the Sax Institute, which concluded that more evaluation is needed before adopting overseas prescribing models in Australia.
The submission also raised concerns that the proposed standards could allow pharmacists to prescribe a broader range of medicines, including Schedule 8 medicines, without clearly defining limits to their scope of practice.
According to the AMA, the proposal also does not explain how pharmacist prescribing programs would assess important areas such as diagnosis, continuity of care, collaboration with other health professionals and clinical governance.
The AMA has recommended that the Australian Pharmacy Council delay finalising the accreditation standards until the Pharmacy Board of Australia completes its endorsement framework, stating that stronger requirements are needed to ensure patient safety.
AMA Raises Patient Safety Concerns Over Pharmacist Prescribing Proposal
Source: Australian Medical Association (AMA)