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NPS Member Update: October 2008NPS Member Update: October 2008

In this issue

2008 Annual General Meeting

The 2008 Annual General Meeting is being held on 21 November 2008. Formal notice of the AGM will shortly be sent to members along with our 2007/08 audited financial statements.

Registration for the AGM will be open from 9.30am and the meeting will commence at 10.00am.

The annual report and the audited financial statements will be tabled at the meeting. Members will also be asked to consider a resolution regarding a CPI increase in Director remuneration.

It is a requirement of our constitution that we have a quorum of members present at the AGM, either in person or by proxy. For a representative to be able to speak and vote at the AGM a proxy form must be completed and returned to the Registered Office by 10.00am Wednesday 19 November 2008. This form will be sent as part of the AGM notice, or can be accessed online here.

NPS Members’ Planning Day: Shaping the future of medicines

Immediately following the 2008 AGM on Friday 21 November 2008 the annual NPS Members’ Planning Day will take place. The venue for this year’s event is the Sydney Masonic Centre, Goulburn St Sydney.

The theme for this year’s planning day is Shaping the future of medicines. The Members’ Planning Day brings together the diverse members of NPS to explore key issues impacting us all and collectively look at what the next 10 years or so holds—not only for NPS but also for the future of quality use of medicines in Australia. The insights from different industry sectors are critical to this.

The format of the day will be slightly different from previous years but will be both interactive and informative, offering members the opportunity to directly engage with NPS and provide input into our future. Planned sessions include an interactive ‘leaders forum’ in which key industry representatives will provide their insight into what the next 10 years may hold. Against the backdrop of a changing environment, the social and health policy agenda and the diverse challenges facing the medicines sector we will ask members and stakeholders to provide input to the NPS 10 year strategy.

Registration is available online.

The Members’ Planning Day is a unique forum that brings together different industry players and offers excellent networking opportunities. This year is a significant milestone for the National Prescribing Service as we celebrate our 10 year anniversary and we hope that you can come along to help us mark the occasion.

Board appointment

In September the NPS Board endorsed the appointment of Kay Price as an Additional Director. Kay will replace Dr Susan Hunt who will retire at the end of October.

Kay is a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of South Australia. For more information on her appointment please see our recent media release.

New Clinical e-Audit for type 2 diabetes

GPs and GP registrars now have access to a new Clinical e-Audit developed by National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) which can assist with the management of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Stakeholder Forum: General practice clinical dataand quality prescribing. Report on proceedings now available

In June 2008 NPS held a Stakeholder Forum: General practice clinical data and quality prescribing – Islands of information in an ocean of opportunity.

The goal of this forum was to find ways to improve access to and use of general practice clinical data for quality improvement, to support and promote quality prescribing, and ultimately to improve health outcomes.

The report on proceedings along with the presentations (video + PowerPoint) from the forum are now available on the NPS website.

We welcome any feedback on this report and its key recommendations. Please provide your feedback by 14 November 2008 to Dr James Reeve, Pharmaceutical Decision Support Program Manager on (03) 9412 5500 or use our online form.

Following receipt of your feedback we will consult with the Department of Health and Ageing to identify ways to progress the recommendations in this report.

2008 Generic medicines are an equal choice campaign

The Generic medicines are an equal choice campaign launches on 27 October with four television commercials going to air in metropolitan, regional and rural areas. Posters for general practitioners and chronic condition information centres have the key messages ‘Generic medicines are an equal choice’, and ‘they contain the same active ingredient’.

A newsletter for health professionals explains the purpose of the campaign and its key messages. The newsletter also talks about generic medicines, the active ingredient and contains FAQs for consumers that health professionals can use. It also contains FAQs for health professionals regarding what NPS are saying to consumers. The newsletter has already been sent out through Australian Prescriber, and will be included in the December edition of NPS RADAR.

The Generic medicines pharmacy tool kit was sent to all community pharmacies in Australia this month. It contains prescription intake forms, prescription repeat folders, best practice guidelines, and a new ancillary label that highlight the active ingredient when brands are substituted.

This tool kit was developed in consultation with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, practising pharmacists and consumers. It aims to provide pharmacy staff with the support required for best practice when discussing generic medicines with consumers. This includes offering brand substitution when taking in prescriptions if appropriate, always obtaining consumer consent before substituting to a generic brand, as well as providing an opportunity for the consumer to ask questions and discuss any concerns they have with their medicine.

Get to know your medicines 2007 campaign wins national PR award

NPS has won the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s (PRIA) National Golden Target Award for Health Organisations for its 2007 Get to know your medicines campaign. Earlier this year NPS also won the 2008 International Association of Business Communicators’ Gold Quill Award for Excellence in Communication and we were a national finalist in the 2008 Australian Marketing Institute’s Awards for Marketing Excellence.

The PRIA award acknowledges our strategic approach to promoting the quality use of medicines and providing sound information to healthcare professionals and consumers. We would like to acknowledge the pivotal role our partner organisations have played in helping us to communicate these important medicines messages. The Get to know your medicines and subsequent Generic medicines are an equal choice campaigns were conducted in partnership with the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia, the Council on the Ageing (COTA), the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), Medicare Australia and a range of internal working groups comprising consumer, academic and health professionals.

The PRIA judges praised our strategic planning and delivery, saying it was an ‘excellent campaign which had clear, well explained goals and objectives, detailed target publics and good use of research. Evaluation was good and the results were excellent.’

PRIA National President Tracy Jones said that the Get to know your medicines campaign reflects the outstanding efforts of the health PR industry in creating awareness and informing Australians of their options.

Latest publications

The latest Australian Prescriber contains articles on:

  • Time for transparency at the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
  • How to treat hypercholesterolaemia
  • Diagnostic tests: Current clinical applications of positron emission tomography
  • A current treatment approach for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Subsidised palliative care medicines
  • Managing acute pain in patients with an opioid abuse or dependence disorder
  • Dental notes: Managing acute pain in patients with an opioid abuse or dependence disorder
  • New drugs reviews: anti-thymocyte globulin, galsulfase, panitumumab

New NPS member contact

Kerren Hosking recently joined us as the contact for NPS member organisations. She has spent the past five years in the medical indemnity sector and has previously worked in both government and consulting services.

Over the coming weeks Kerren will be in contact with many of you, but feel free to call her direct to introduce yourself or raise any concerns or queries you may have. Her contact details are below.

To receive more information on any of the topics in this newsletter or to change your email address, subscribe or unsubscribe to NPS member update email please send your request to khosking@nps.org.au.

Kerren Hosking

Strategy & Communications
National Prescribing Service Limited
Address: Level 7, 418A Elizabeth St Surry Hills NSW 2010
Mailing address: PO Box 1147 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Phone: 02 8217 8796
Mobile: 0408 226 397
Fax: 02 9211 7578   
Email: khosking@nps.org.au
Website: www.nps.org.au

NPS Member Update is a regular publication from the National Prescribing Service Limited, Level 7/418A Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, AUSTRALIA. email: info@nps.org.au, Website: www.nps.org.au.

National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS) is an independent, non-profit organisation for Quality Use of Medicines. We provide accurate, balanced, evidence-based information and services to help people choose if, when and how to use medicines to improve their health and wellbeing. We are member-based and work in partnership with health professionals, government, pharmaceutical industry and consumers. NPS is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.  

© National Prescribing Service Limited 2008

Date published: 2008-10-28 00:00:00

Reasonable care is taken to provide accurate information at the date of creation. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified health professional. Health professionals should rely on their own expertise and enquiries when providing medical advice or treatment. Where permitted by law, NPS disclaims all liability (including for negligence) for any loss, damage or injury resulting from reliance on or use of this information. Read our full disclaimer.

References to brands should not be taken as an endorsement by NPS.