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From our Chair

Sue Kirsa

Chair

It has been another very successful year for the Australian Pharmacy Council.

Despite ongoing challenges of a global pandemic, our organisation has continued to grow and perform well with a number of very successful initiatives and a financial surplus being delivered. These successes greatly assist the organisation to invest into the future. I want to acknowledge and thank the APC Board, our wonderful CEO, executive, employees and our many, many collaborators for their contribution to the organisation.

I was honoured to be reappointed onto the Board for a final term and re-elected as Chair this year. Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson was also re-elected as Deputy Chair. It is an absolute pleasure to Chair the APC Board which is made up of a highly skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated membership. I highly value their input into our decisions and governance of the organisation.

The Board renewed our CEO Bronwyn Clark’s employment contract for a further five-year term this year. We are very fortunate to have such a capable leader for our organisation. Among senior employee changes, we have welcomed Brett Streatfeild as Company Secretary and Chief Operating Officer and Kris Speering as Executive Assistant to the CEO who also provides considerable support to our Board.

The Board and Executive team spent some time renewing our Strategic plan this year, confirming areas of focus for coming years. We have consistently delivered against our strategy over recent years, and I am confident we will continue to do so into the future. See a summary of our Strategic Priorities.

Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strategy has continued to progress, with the release of our Reconciliation Action Plan in November last year and the Launch of LIPPE (Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Practice and Education) – a collaboration with the Council of Pharmacy Schools (CPS). The Board and our Executive and whole team are committed to contributing in meaningful ways to reconciliation and achieving change in the way our profession delivers care to ensure the health of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples.

The work of the APC has continued to grow with increasing demand for assessments and examinations from overseas registered pharmacists. This area has been and will continue to be an area of focus for the APC in enhancing the candidate experience and modernising our approach to delivery while ensuring security and robust processes. Enhancing our Information Technology capability and engaging with experts in practice and examinations are critical aspects of this strategy and we were very pleased at the response to our recent call for subject matter experts from the Pharmacy and academic fields to support this work.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our work in accreditation has continued over the year with many programs being reaccredited either with face to face, virtual or hybrid visits. The APC’s approach to support programs in such trying times has been well received. We have grown our pool of accreditors over the year to ensure we can accommodate the unexpected unavailability of team members due to the ongoing risk of the need to isolate due to COVID.

I would like to express my sadness at the passing of Erica Sainsbury in December. Erica was an inspirational pharmacist and pharmacy academic who made significant contributions to the work of the APC over many, many years. I will miss our interactions, her good humour and her wisdom. My deepest sympathy to her family, friends and colleagues.

Looking forward, the APC celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, culminating in a celebratory event aligned with our AGM in November. I’m looking forward to catching up with many of the people who have contributed to our organisation over the years at this event and those who continue to collaborate in the important work that we do.

Once again, my thanks to the Board, our CEO, Executive, employees, volunteers and collaborators for the work we do together. The future is bright for the APC and our profession but not without challenges. Together we can overcome these challenges and I look forward to contributing and collaborating in this important work over coming years.

 

The Australian Pharmacy Council acknowledges Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea, and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to Elders, past, present and emerging.

© Australian Pharmacy Council 2022

Annual Report by Stream Design
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