Pharmacists in Australia are to be paid A$114m (£46m) over the coming five years for carrying out medication reviews for patients in residential care and some others in their own homes.
The money will also be used to pay pharmacists for case discussions and care planning with general medical practitioners and for pharmacist facilitators.
The payment is one component of the third community pharmacy agreement between the Australian government and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which runs for five years from July 1.
Under the agreement, the fee payable to pharmacists for medication reviews of patients in residential homes rises from about £21.60 to £40. Domiciliary reviews for other patients are to be introduced shortly, with a fee of £48. Case discussions between pharmacists and GPs are to be funded at a rate of £16 per item.
Another feature of the agreement is the return to pharmacists of a share of savings they have previously generated for the Australian pharmaceutical benefits scheme from such reviews. A total of A$11m (£4.4m) is to be returned to pharmacies as a prescription volume-related lump sum.
Details of the agreement are available on the Australian pharmacy guild's website at www.guild.org.au/thirdagreement/index.htm.

Australia's community pharmacy medication review scheme is to be extended