SHPA congratulates Premier-elect Malinauskas on SA election win
The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) has congratulated Premier-elect Peter Malinauskas and his colleagues on their victory at the 2022 South Australian State Election, while reiterating the importance of investment into the Hospital Pharmacy workforce to ensure election pledges meet the immediate needs of South Australia’s hospital system.
SHPA Chief Executive Kristin Michaels says it is essential the South Australian Labor Party’s pre-election hospital and health promises are paired with corresponding investment into Hospital Pharmacists.
‘The people of South Australia have delivered a clear message to Premier-elect Malinauskas: they want solutions to issues regarding ambulance ramping and emergency department overcrowding in South Australian hospitals.
‘On behalf of our members in South Australia we welcome pledges of 300 extra hospital beds, 300 more nurses, and greater investment in mental health, and look forward to their prompt implementation, but these cannot stand alone.
‘Hospital Pharmacists in emergency departments must be funded extensively throughout all South Australian public hospitals, not just during business hours, but after hours and on weekends as well.
‘To ease ramping issues specialised Emergency Medicine Pharmacists are essential, as they improve the bed flow within hospitals by having patient’s medicines charted more accurately, freeing nurse and doctor capacity.’
Ms Michaels says there is an enormous opportunity in South Australia to improve patient care by prioritising investment in hospital pharmacy services, particularly in opioid stewardship and mental health.
‘To meet this need, we look forward to working with the incoming government to implement Advanced Training Residencies (ATR) in Mental Health to ensure Hospital Pharmacist workforce sustainability, which will also complement existing ATR investments into Cancer Services and Clinical Education in SA Health.
‘SHPA looks forward to a strong relationship with the South Australian Government, and we welcome the many campaign commitments regarding hospital infrastructure and healthcare across South Australia.’