Plenary panels and vaccination update
| Friday, August 1, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM |
| Pyrmont Theatre |
Overview
The panels will focus on Building your scope of practice further. We will also welcome PSA's Inaugural Vaccination Ambassador and David Laffan, Assistant Secretary, Immunisation Access and Engagement, Australian Department of Health
Details
Panel One: Scope of practice: where are we at?
Full scope of practice. It seems to be a daily headline for pharmacists and other health professionals.
Recent years have seen a flurry of announcements and reviews designed to help remove the barriers to patient care and redesign Australia’s health system for the population’s health needs.
Both state and territory governments have committed to harnessing the full potential of the health workforce, including pharmacists, to drive safety, efficacy and efficiency within our health system.
So where are we at with full scope of practice in Australia right now? How does our prescribing model compare internationally? What other changes are imminent? And do we need to fast-track some of these initiatives?
Our expert panel of decision-makers will share their perspective and discuss the enablers and challenges for implementation.
Panel Two: 'how it changed me': The journey to becoming a pharmacist prescriber
By now, most pharmacists would be aware of the introduction of pharmacist prescribing qualifications in Australia, as the Queensland Government have permanently adopted the community pharmacy prescribing program, and other jurisdictions have committed to
But for most, the process of becoming a pharmacist prescriber is still a mystery. What do you have to do to become a prescriber? What is involved in the training package? And how does the learning journey change and develop you as a practitioner?
Vaccination: Introducing PSA's vaccination champion and Address by David Laffan
Delegates will receive an immunisation update from the Immunisation Access and Engagement Branch at the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
Speakers
Amy Speck
Policy Panel
Biography
Amy is a passionate pharmacist with a strong commitment to advancing healthcare access in rural and remote communities. After completing her Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) at UQ, she began her career in Brisbane before relocating to the Darling Downs, where she managed a community pharmacy throughout COVID. Since 2022, Amy has been working as a locum pharmacist, travelling extensively across Queensland—including to Thursday Island, Norfolk Island, Goondiwindi, Mackay Region, Emerald, and the Western Downs. With a special interest in rural health, she believes deeply in the impact pharmacists can have in smaller communities. In 2024, she completed The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice and Prescribing for Pharmacists through JCU/QUT, further strengthening her clinical capacity. Supporting the roll out of prescribing services throughout Queensland, Amy has witnessed the significant difference pharmacist prescribers can make in ensuring timely, accessible treatment of acute conditions—especially where GP access is limited.
Jacob Warner
Acting General Manager - Education and Training
PSA
Policy Panel Two
Biography
Jacob Warner BPharm MPS is an experienced community and clinical pharmacist with vast experience in the field of clinical writing and editing having previously worked at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in London and Therapeutic Guidelines. Jacob is currently the PSA CPD Manager.
David Laffan
Assistant Secretary, Immunisation Access and Engagement
Department Of Health, Disability And Ageing
Vaccination Address
12:00 PM - 12:15 PMBiography
David is the Assistant Secretary, Immunisation Access and Engagement Branch, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. He has almost 20 years’ experience as a senior public servant in policy, program and regulatory roles. As Assistant Secretary for Immunisation he has responsibility for the National Immunisation Strategy Implementation Plan, the NIP Vaccine in Pharmacy Program (NIPVIP) and is the data steward for the Australian Immunisation Register.
Shivana Chandra
Panel One - Scope of practice: where are we at?
11:00 AM - 11:30 AMBiography
Shivana works for the Health Care Consumers Association as a research officer. She has a range of experience in research, policy, and consumer-centred healthcare improvement. She was part of the team from HCCA working on the co-design of the liaison and navigation services. She has also completed a large research project on integrated care for people with chronic and complex conditions. In the past year, Shivana has led a research project focusing on identifying the health care needs for older people living with dementia who live in residential aged care.
She is passionate about using the consumer perspective and integrating it in all parts of research and translating it into practice to improve access and responsiveness of health care. Throughout her career, she has been committed to working with consumers and using their knowledge and expertise to conduct research and develop programs and initiatives that provide both individual and community benefit.
Shivana also serves as a consumer representative on a number of committees for research and education.
Penny Shakespeare
Deputy Secretary for Health Resourcing
Department Of Health, Disability And Ageing
Panel One - Scope of practice: where are we at?
11:00 AM - 11:30 AMBiography
Penny Shakespeare brings a wealth of expertise and experience to a wide range of policy making across Australia’s health and aged care system.
As Deputy Secretary of the department’s Health Resourcing Group, she oversees a broad spectrum of health policy. This includes Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme policies and integrity, ensuring Australia has a planned, highly trained and well distributed health workforce advancing digital health solutions and harnessing the potential of genomics.
Penny joined the department in 2006. Since then, Penny has held a number of senior leadership positions, including First Assistant Secretary of the Technology Assessment and Access Division and Health Workforce Division. Penny has been a member of the Workplace Relations Ministers Advisory Council and the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and represents the Commonwealth on the board of the National Blood Authority.
Before joining Health, Penny was an industrial relations lawyer in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and worked in regulatory policy roles, including as head of the Australian Capital Territory’s Office of Industrial Relations.
Penny has a Bachelor of Laws, a Master’s degree in International Law and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor.
Bridget Totterman
Board Director
PSA
Panel One - Scope of practice: where are we at?
11:00 AM - 11:30 AMBiography
Bridget is a registered pharmacist and community pharmacy owner with over 15 years’ experience in business management, operations, and frontline leadership. A Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), she is a member of the Australian Community Pharmacy Authority and the PSA Queensland Branch Committee.
Named QLD Pharmacist of the Year in 2020 (Bowl of Hygiea), Bridget has held advisory roles with UTIPP-Q and QPIP and is credentialed to administer immunisations. She was appointed Clinical Fellow at QUT in 2018 and serves on the Course Advisory Group for the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons). Bridget has also completed studies in directorship, management, marketing, negotiation, human resources, and holds an Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama.
Prof Bruce Warner
Honorary Professor of Pharmacy Policy And Practice
University of Nottingham
Panel One - Scope of practice: where are we at?
11:00 AM - 11:30 AMBiography
Bruce Warner is an Honorary Professor of Pharmacy Policy and Practice at Nottingham University and a Visiting Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Huddersfield. He was formally Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at NHS England, where he worked on the strategic and operational development of medicines and pharmacy policy. He led nationally on primary and intermediate care pharmacy and medicines from a professional perspective, aimed at improving quality, outcomes and value for patients and the public from their medicines. He also focused on medicines shortages, pharmacist independent prescribing and wider aspects of medicines and pharmacy policy.
Prior to this post Bruce worked as Deputy Director of Patient Safety at the NPSA and in NHS England, where he led on the strategy for patient safety improvement and headed up the patient safety advice and guidance function.
Bruce has worked in most sectors of pharmacy including community, hospital, academia and government.
Since retiring in 2023 Bruce has been involved in a number of pieces of work, including chairing a Royal Pharmaceutical Society Advisory Group on Medicines Shortages, undertaking research in Pharmacist Independent Prescribing and is Chair at a local hospice.
