Pharmacy Welcomes PHCOs

(News released by PGA)

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that Primary Health Care Organisations (PHCOs) will be established across Australia. The establishment of regional PHCOs was one of the key recommendations from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.

The PHCO network will support GPs and other health professionals, including pharmacists, to improve the delivery of primary care services at the local level, as well as make it easier for patients to navigate the local health care system. In practice, PHCOs will work with local hospital networks to assist with patients’ transition out of hospital, as well as facilitate allied health care for people with chronic conditions and identify groups of people who may be missing out on primary health care services.

PHCOs will be built from the existing network of Divisions of GPs, which is managed by the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN).

The Guild has a strong and long-running relationship with AGPN, which includes collaborating closely to administer the Home Medicines Review Program and working together in the National Primary Health Care Partnership.

For further details, please refer to Attachment.