The AJP Podcast

Hosted by Australian Journal of Pharmacy

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Episodes

156

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

The podcast by pharmacists, for pharmacists, brought to you by the AJP. Each episode, join a diverse panel of pharmacists from all settings and experience levels discussing topics that affect pharmacists in day to day practice – such as ability & gender diversity in pharmacy, and medicinal cannabis.

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60 recent

September 23, 202626 min

‘We really need some change and we need it urgently’

Caps on the number of HMRs pharmacists can provide are stifling the profession’s capacity to prevent patients from being hospitalised, the AJP Podcast hears Consultant Pharmacist of the Year Kelly Abbott has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that caps on the Home Medicines Review (HMR) program are “disincentivising things” Based in one of Australia’s most unhealthy regions, Gippsland, Abbott called on politicians to spend some time with her to see the challenges the current policy creates. ” Last month, 59 referrals from GPs arrived in my inbox,” she said. “I desperately would love to see all of those people, and I have got the time. I work so many other roles to fill my time. Why can’t I turn that time into these positive outcomes, reduce the hospitalisations for these people, focus on making us Australia’s second, then third, then fourth, then one day if I’m magical, least unhealthy area? “I don’t think I’ll ever get there, but I would love to be able to make a difference, and I’m stifled right now because the suggestion is that we can make patients pay for a home medication review. “Sure, some of them can afford it, but some of my regions are just so socioeconomically disadvantaged – this is not a priority for them,” Abbott said. “Our food banks are struggling to keep up with the demand. We’re seeing increased crime because they can’t afford things in our local area. “We need to fund things like this to help them afford their medicines, use the right medicines, and stay out of hospital to get them back into employment if we can. This is so important, this service. We’re not asking for much. We’re asking for reality to be brought into policy.” Our key points include: Recruitment and retention challenges in regional and rural areas (1 minute 32) Practising in the GP setting (4:03) Working alongside community pharmacy (5:10) The La Trobe Valley – Australia’s unhealthiest place (6:44) “I’m choosing to live here because they need people like me” (7:49) GPs are gaining confidence in pharmacists’ advice (8:53) Supporting the general practice team (13:41) Pharmacist prescribing (15:56) “We need to encourage our younger pharmacists to give rural a go” (18:21) Treating heart failure (19:56) What happens when the funding runs out (22:06) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

September 8, 202632 min

‘We haven’t allowed rural pharmacy to grow’

It is nearly impossible to find someone with an understanding of rural pharmacy at the meetings where decisions are made, Heather Volks tells the AJP Podcast AJP Podcast host, Carlene McMaugh, discusses life as a rural pharmacist with Charles Darwin University’s pharmacy lead, Associate Professor Heather Volks. Logistical challenges are hindering pharmacists working in rural and remote areas from sharing their experiences with the profession’s peak bodies, Volks says. “We… as the profession, we haven’t allowed rural pharmacy to grow,” she said. “And I think a lot of that is because our lobbying bodies, our policymakers don’t have active participating rural pharmacists on committees… these people can’t take an hour out of their pharmacy day to join a teleconference. “If they want to go to a face-to-face meeting, they can’t logistically get there, and so to find someone that really understands rural pharmacy at the table at a high level meeting is nearly impossible. “And so we’re not getting a true representation of what people on the ground know they need – that voice is not getting through to people that can actually make a difference.” Other key topics include: Professional isolation (2 minutes 08) Drivers of workforce maldistribution (4:15) Lack of understanding of how well-trained pharmacists are (7:54) Rural pharmacies are often independent stores without back office support (9:01) Pharmacist prescribing would be an amazing boost for rural GPs, but pharmacists need to have the capacity to do it (14:20) Rural pharmacists need funding to deliver on expanded scope of practice (16:34) Student placements (17:52) The rewarding side of rural pharmacy (19:51) Doctor of Pharmacy (28:01) Volk’s four asks: Harmonisation of legislation (21:57) Access to PBS funding for pharmacist prescribing (22:28) Having a practicing rural pharmacist at the table when making policy (23:00) New pay award that recognises the different scopes of practice that pharmacists are now working in (23:40) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

August 27, 202633 min

Critical thinking a key skill: Pharmacist of the Year

Digital innovations will be “useful tools” for pharmacists going into the future, but the ability to think critically will help cement the profession’s role in healthcare, Paul Tait tells the AJP Podcast AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses key skills pharmacists will need going into the future, their role in palliative care and more, with the 2026 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Pharmacist of the Year, Paul Tait. With more than three decades of experience across multiple settings, Tait, said he was humbled to be recognised by his peers, noting the “pharmacy has been an amazing driver… to understand big parts of the health system”. The South Australian clinician researcher noted that the profession has evolved over the years, providing new funded services including home medication reviews and playing a bigger role within multidisciplinary care teams. Looking to the future with the emergence of AI, Tait said that “critical thinking is an important skill to have” “I think that’s very important from where we are heading as a profession,” he told McMaugh. “I would argue that critical thinking element is something that we can bring to the table that will help to cement us in the healthcare ecosystem. “A good example is … [in] the research aspect of my role currently, I will look at the data and that data might be numbers of how many patients did a certain activity, or it might be words of what people’s thoughts and feelings are about an issue. “But actually, I think with critical thinking, what you do is you actually stop and you think about, well, what are the tensions in the system?” Other key topics include: The skills pharmacists bring to the palliative care team (5 minutes 25) PBS-funded ‘pharmacist bag’ to improve access to palliative care medicines (7:41) Hurdles hindering access to specialisted pharmacist end of life care (10:04) The role of pharmacists in supporting carers (12:25) Use of virtual care to bridge the gap for rural and isolated patients (15:45) Pharmacists input to multidisciplinary care (18:05) Digital health and end of life care (20:48) The “Tait legacy” (27:05) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

August 12, 202635 min

Tackling perceptions

Australia’s first Indigenous pharmacist, Professor Faye McMillan, speaks with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about her journey in pharmacy, the profession’s role in Closing the Gap, racism and more Wiradjuri woman, Faye McMillan, tells the AJP Podcast that she was inspired to pursue a career as a pharmacist after working at a dispensing assistant in her local pharmacy in Trangie, NSW. “[I] saw the contribution that the pharmacist made to the community, and the community held him in such high regard, in the sense of relationally regarded,” she said. “It really gave me a sense of ‘in service’, and what it meant to be in service with your community… that’s why I wanted to do it – I wanted to be in service, I wanted to – at the time – go back home after studying and be the local pharmacists, which didn’t happen.” Reflecting on becoming the first pharmacist of Aboriginal heritage, McMillan said “when somebody gets to say that they were the first, there’s a lot of things that we don’t fully appreciate until the distance of time”. “So, to experience being the first, there was no safety net in the sense of who can I go to ask questions? What’s been the experience? How do we navigate this? Why aren’t we learning so more about indigenous peoples? Why aren’t we understanding the pharmacology of indigenous plants? Why aren’t we doing all these things? “It was so Western and biomedical that it was a struggle, but in hindsight, one that I think certainly crafted who I am, the relationship I have to the profession, and also the relationship I have to my family.” McMillan told the AJP Podcast that after completing her training she faced challenges in finding opportunities where she could be both an Indigenous person and a pharmacist. “There were doors that were open if I just wanted to be Aboriginal, or there were doors that opened if I just wanted to be pharmacist, but very few doors that opened that allowed me to be both, that allowed me to be who I was,” she said. An opportunity to embrace both side of her identity came when Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) chief executive, Bronwyn Clark, invited McMillan to work with the APC. “It was I think that moment of acceptance that I could be both an Aboriginal woman as well as a pharmacist, and I bring knowledge of both of those systems. “And so it started a relationship with APC that continues to this day.” While McMillan said she has found opportunities to be here authentic self, she noted that racism remains an issue in Australia. “You can’t be an Indigenous business owner and be successful because that doesn’t fit the stereotype of what being a business owner should look,” she said. “Or you only get to a position because you’re Black or because they pull the race card and we have quotas that organisations want to fill. “It’s not like I have done a master’s; I have done a doctoral qualification; I have postdoctoral qualifications. I am qualified to do the job as well as bringing that other unique set of diverse lens. “I think the challenge for us is understanding why we’re so afraid of difference and why we want to have conforming ideas.” Other key topics include: Perceptions of pharmacies being retailers are holding the profession back from playing a greater role in Closing the Gap for Indigenous patients (21 minutes 35) New guidelines for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with medicines management (24:58) Cultural safety in pharmacy (28:11) Attracting more First Nations people to pursue careers in pharmacy (30:23) You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

July 30, 2026

Be Risk Ready – a PDL Podcast: You’ve received an Ahpra notification, now what?

This PDL podcast seeks to demystify a stressful subject: what can pharmacists do when they receive a regulatory notification? Ahpra acting executive director of Health Regulation, Monica Lambley; PDL lead pharmacist education and professional development and host of the Be Risk Ready Podcast Amy Minion; and PDL Professional Officer and chair of the Victorian Local Advisory Committee Naomi Lim discuss how important it is to understand the notification process. Minion says that “in this episode, we’ll break down what a regulatory notification is and what it isn’t,” as well as some common reasons why notifications are made – and tips for navigating the process. And does a notification always mean that a pharmacist has made an error, or something has gone wrong? PDL takes an in-depth look… Highlights include: 02:36 – What is a notification? 03:29 – Statistics on notifications 04:24 – “The first struggle is almost always emotional.” 06:36 – What a notification doesn’t mean 07:26 – What regulators are looking for in their assessment of a notification 08:52 – “This is a learning.” 10:39 – When a pharmacist reaches out to PDL 12:35 – How do practitioners show accountability and insight? 13:49 – Looking after your own wellbeing 16:24 – Why notifications do not define a practitioner 18:12 – “A really high proportion of the information that we receive relates to a miscommunication or a misunderstanding.” 20:09 – Staying ahead of risk 22:47 – The importance of seeking information You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify

July 29, 202631 min

AJP Podcast: ‘Obviously there is some trepidation out there’

What’s going to change with the replacement of QCPP with QSPP? The AJP Podcast asks the questions AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh chats with Natalie Willis, senior vice president of the Pharmacy Guild in WA, national councillor and chair of the Guild’s clinical governance committee, about the new Quality and Safety in Pharmacy Program (QSPP) framework. There’s two major themes, says Willis: what’s changing, and how. “What we’ve changed is around clinical governance and patient engagement,” she says. “The how is around the way that we’ll be assessing the program going forward.” Highlights include: 01:00 – What’s actually changing? 03:47 – How can pharmacists prepare for the change? 05:11 – “The biggest challenges in making it happen were just going through the process in a different way.” 07:23 – What feedback has the Guild received? 08:34 – “Obviously there is some trepidation out there.” 09:01 – The most frequently asked questions 10:38 – A lower administrative burden 12:44 – A goal of reducing anxiety 15:01 – “Everything is still evolving and it’s designed not to be a static process.” 16:11 – Are dedicated compliance staff needed? 18:40 – What happens to pharmacies which aren’t ready? 21:18 – What the outcome should look like 23:23 – What does the community pharmacy of 2030 look like? 25:46 – What to do now 28:31 – How to know a QSPP assessment is coming You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

July 15, 202650 min

A focus on the future at APC

CEO of the Australian Pharmacy Council Bronwyn Clark sits down with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh to talk about full scope, training, interprofessional collaboration and more “Full scope is obviously super, super important and very exciting time for us here in Australia,” Clark says. “So our role at the APC is to be the national accreditation and standard setting body for education and training for pharmacists. “And so when we are looking at how we can support full scope, it’s really top of mind for us and we’re putting a lot of work and effort into collaborating with people to do this work. “I think the key thing around the challenges with these programs has been around making sure that we have graduates who have the right level of competence and capability to be able to deliver full scope and prescribing regardless of where they are.” Highlights include 01:40 – The biggest challenges in creating agile standards 04:50 – Will accreditation be applied nationally? 06:05 – “It will be a bit like optometry.” 11:10 – Harmonising the standards 15:46 – Could the traditional four-year plus internship model be replaced? 20:46 – Ensuring potential new programs are rigorous 23:21 – A new set of learning models for preceptors and supervisors 26:17 – Changes to the intern written exam 28:22 – “You’re actually assessing someone’s competence as opposed to their ability to remember.” 30:19 – The colloquium and its focus on respectful, inclusive conversations 34:41 – Changes to accreditation for CPD activities 37:35 – Does this shift create uncertainty? 39:19 – “The APC is very committed to this strategy of embedding cultural safety” 42:37 – The APC is nominated as a finalist in the leading tech awards in Australia 45:08 – The workforce crisis You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

July 1, 202625 min

‘It’s important to invest in your pharmacists’

In this episode of the AJP Podcast, Sally Cairnduff explains what it’s like to work for a not-for-profit pharmacy servicing a rural community – and her lessons for the profession As the general manager of not-for-profit Wonthaggi Miners’ Pharmacy in regional Victoria, Sally Cairnduff runs her pharmacy a little bit differently. “Profit is not the goal in itself,” she tells AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh. “Instead, we’re more interested in supporting our community and improving their health and wellbeing. So it’s a little bit different to other pharmacy models where all funds are either reinvested into the pharmacy to improve access and quality of care or donated to community initiatives.” Cairnduff tells McMaugh how else the pharmacy supports locals and how she manages staff shortages in a regional community. Other highlights include: 3.15 – How the pharmacist gives back to the community. 5.45 – Helping patients who are ‘missed’ in the traditional healthcare system. 7.02 – Contributing to the community in other ways, such as supporting the arts scene. 8.12 – The pharmacy’s membership model. 14.22 – How the community reacted to automated dispensing. 20.26 – Investing in pharmacists. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

June 3, 202641 min

A president’s journey

Former PSA national president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, reflects on the society’s evolution during her term, and looks to the future on the latest episode of our podcast AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s immediate past president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, to discuss her time at the helm, and what the future holds for the organisation. Having broken through the glass ceiling to become the PSA’s first female leader, Sim led the society through a transformative period, securing a heads of agreement for the First Pharmacy Practice Agreement, and the acquisition of the Australasian College of Pharmacy. Highlights include: 1min 28 – A presidency was based on teamwork 2.20 – Succession – Professor Mark Naunton is “the prefect leader… to take the PSA into the next chapter” 4.18 – Predecessors, Dr Chris Freeman and Dr Shane Jackson woke the giant that is the PSA 7.52 – Growing the PSA’s membership 8.54 – The acquisition of the Australasian College of Pharmacy 11.22 – The PSA needs to keep the momentum going to deliver on its strategic priorities 12.33 – Growing pains in the pharmacist/GP relationship 16.24 – Health professions need to support each other to work to the top of their scope of practice 19.56 – Translating leader diversity into better outcomes 22.56 – The First Pharmacy Practice Agreement 29.54 – Breaking the glass ceiling to become the first female president of the PSA 34.11 – Looking to the future in a new role with the AMH 38.32 – Addressing unfinished business. You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts . These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh

May 20, 202637 min

‘They become more and more sophisticated over time’

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses cybersecurity in 2026 – including why pharmacists need to consider themselves data stewards She sits down with PSA’s digital health lead and pharmacist Jarrod McMaugh to discuss everything from why criminals target small businesses, how to tell the difference between a legitimate communication from a GP or wholesaler and a data theft attempt, and pharmacists’ obligations to their patients when it comes to privacy. The two discuss why the greater amount of data now collected and shared could leave a “back door” open to cyber threats – and why you should never pay a ransom if you’ve been targeted. Highlights include 01:03 – Why is community pharmacy a high-value target for cybercriminals? 02:52 – Protection and prevention 06:25 – The common weak links in pharmacy digital infrastructure 07:58 – Spot the difference: legitimate requests and data theft attempts 10:31 – Pharmacies’ responsibilities under the Australian Privacy Principle 11 13:28 – Legal and professional obligations if a breach occurs 20:34 – “Every health service in the country must have a policy around their access to My Health Records.” 23:33 – Privacy considerations around the Pharmacists Shared Medicines List 27:01 – The top three non-negotiable digital hygiene habits 28:53 – The role of software vendors 31:49 – How do shared records raise privacy and cyber threat concerns? 33:42 – The role of professional indemnity insurers 36:21 – The role of the PSA You can access the full transcript of this podcast here . While we endeavour to ensure all important words and phrases are correct, please note there may be some minor inaccuracies in the transcription. ACCESS PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Go here for the full list of active AJP podcasts. These can also be accessed via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Carlene McMaugh