Now that you have decided to start up your pharmacy, it is important to consider the legal requirements so that you do not fall in any legal pitfalls. Pharmaceutical services and pharmacies in Australia are strict when it comes to maintaining their healthcare services at a top level.
The Pharmacy Board of Australia developed certain guidelines according to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (section 39). These guidelines provide direction to pharmacists of their professional responsibilities as being pharmacy owners. Also, these set of guidelines were formed so that the pharmacists who were seeking to get themselves registered.
List Of Legal Requirements
1 – How Pharmacy Business Is To Be Conducted
In the scenario where the owner or partner pharmacist has hired someone else to run the pharmacy has the responsibility to be vigilant of how the pharmacy is being operated. The pharmacy owner should make sure the pharmacy runs as per follows:
- good pharmacy practice
- any applicable territory, state or Commonwealth law
- meets quality-assurance guidelines and professional practice
- follows Pharmacy Board of Australia codes, policies, and guidelines.
2 – How To Meet Your Professional Obligations
One of the legal requirements that must be fulfilled is that the pharmacy owner cannot delegate their professional obligations.
3 – Duties Of Proprietor Pharmacists
The set guidelines that pharmacy owners must abide with includes:
- Making sure that the confidentiality of the patient information is properly stored and accessed
- Making sure the advertising of products and/or services carried out is follows the set legislation and guidelines.
- Ensuring to be aware of the unregulated services provided, pharmaceutical products that are being sold, in particular those products that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not regulate.
- Ensuring to be responsible of the unregulated services provided, pharmaceutical products that are being sold, in particular those products that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not regulate.
- Making sure to follow risk management procedures.
- Making sure that business protocols, procedures, and policies are established, executed and consistently followed.
- Ensuring that the pharmacy owner stays vigilant of the pharmacy operation and makes on-site visits to the pharmacy to see to it that all legal guidelines are being followed.
- Making certain the pharmacy is appropriately resourced, and all the staff members are properly trained and supervised to make sure they provide the right services.
- Educating the pharmacy staff that they do not involve themselves in unprofessional practices.
- Making sure to attend staff meetings frequently in order to fulfil all the above mentioned duties at all times.
To help make it easier for the pharmacy owner to ensure all the legal requirements are being observed, simple compliance software can make it much simpler for the owner. This software will ensure that all the business compliance requirements for the pharmacy owner is fully met.