Requirements for a Pharmacy

Reference Materials

The Board recommends the following current edition reference materials are available at any dispensary:

• The Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary and Hand Book (current 20th ed); and the
• Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH)

Pharmacies are not limited to these texts and pharmacists are encouraged to maintain their reference libraries as appropriate for their practice. Access to at least one of the following references is also recommended:

• Martindale Extra Pharmacopoeia;
• Australian Prescription Proprietary Guide Annual;
• MIMS (Annual);
• AusDI;
• The Therapeutic Guidelines; and
• Paediatric Pharmacopoiea.

Publications may be kept as printed publications in bound copy form or in electronic format, if available, such as CD-ROM, or accessible via the Internet. If a pharmacy chooses an electronic option, it should satisfy the following criteria:

1. the current license is approved for the relevant pharmacy;
2. a documented protocol is available which allows all pharmacists, including locum pharmacists, to have access to the reference; and
3. if the Internet is the preferred choice, access to the Internet must be permanent, with the reference "bookmarked" or listed in "“favourites" to ensure rapid, direct retrieval.

The Board would consider not having access to current reference material as unprofessional.

Each pharmacy must also have access, either by hard copy or internet, to current legislation.

Copies of current legislation are available via the Pharmacists Board website and include the following

• Pharmacists Registration Act 2001;
• Pharmacists Registration Regulation 2001;
• Health Practitioners (Professional Standards) Act 1999 and;
• Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996.

The Board's public access register can be accessed via the Board’s website. A link will take you to the public access registers of the other health practitioner registration boards at http://www.healthregboards.qld.gov.au/ services online. This page allows you to search a register via a registrant’s surname. Only current registrants or registrants deemed to be registered are displayed. These registers are only available via the Internet and are no longer available in printed format.

Public registers for the following may be searched on-line:

• Chiropractors Board
• Dental Board
• Dental Technicians and Dental Prosthetists Board
• Medical Radiation Technologists Board
• Occupational Therapists Board
• Optometrists Board
• Osteopaths Board
• Pharmacists Board
• Physiotherapists Board
• Podiatrists Board
• Psychologists Board
• Speech Pathologists Board

The register of veterinary surgeons and specialists is available at www.vsb.qld.gov.au.

The Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP) published by the Commonwealth (current edition No.22) should be held. This is not available on-line. An order form to purchase the current SUSDP edition is available at www.tga.health.gov.au/ndpsc.

Schedule 4 of the Health Regulation 1996 states that the following items are to be provided in a dispensary:

• a refrigerator, fitted with a device capable of registering the minimum and maximum temperature, for use for storing therapeutic products at appropriate temperatures;
• three metric certified dispensing measures;
• a funnel;
• two spatulas;
• a tablet counting tray.

Schedule 5 of the Health Regulation 1996 states that the following items are to be provided in a dispensary that dispenses extemporaneous preparations:

• a set of mechanical or electronic counter scales, capable of weighing up to 1kg with an appropriate set of metric weights (if necessary);
• a dispensing balance capable of weighing up to 50g that is either an electronic balance or a mechanical balance with an appropriate set of metric weights (if necessary);
• a certified 10ml, 20ml, 50ml, 100ml, 200ml and 1L dispensing measure;
• a mortar and pestle;
• a stirring rod;
• an ointment slab; and
• an electronic or gas heating appliance for use in dispensing a drug or poison.