Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Following the recent decision by the government to cut Commonwealth funding for its core program supporting quality use of medicines, NPS MedicineWise has announced it will cease operations at the end of this year. For the past 24 years NPS MedicineWise has provided reliable and trusted independent information on the safe and effective use of medicines both for medical professionals and for consumers. The not-for-profit organisation has been described as having a remarkable track record of excellence in its work. Its great strength was in being an independent organisation at arm's length from government. The work of NPS MedicineWise has successfully delivered direct savings worth $1.1 billion to Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and it is reported to have resulted in demonstrable improvements in patient care and health outcomes for Australians.

With the changes being introduced, NPS MedicineWise's core quality-use-of-medicines functions will move to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care by January 2023. Its other functions for education were moved to a contested funding arrangement. While it is acknowledged that the commission is a well-respected body whose work overlaps with that of NPS MedicineWise, the concern for health professionals is that there will now be no agency with sole responsibility for delivering quality-use-of-medicine programs. This will now just be a small part of the work the commission must do on a very reduced budget. Additionally, health professionals worry that contestability in health care is usually code for 'given to the cheapest bidder', and that rarely delivers the best health outcomes.

These changes come at a time when the complexity around medicines and their use is growing, and antimicrobial resistance is a serious and mounting threat. An independent, evidence-based, quality-use-of-medicines voice in Australia is more important than ever. In this light, the CEO of NPS MedicineWise has called on the government to conduct and publish a review of the outcomes of these changes in a year's time, including the impact on prescribing patterns and the PBS costs. The review should examine health professionals' perspectives on the changes and whether prescribers feel they still have the resources and support they need to make good prescribing choices around medicines. It should also examine whether consumers feel they still have good access to resources and information. It is also of the utmost importance that the successful work of the NPS MedicineWise's antimicrobial stewardship program continues.