Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Victoria's public hospitals

Key messages

The Commonwealth and Victoria have initiated reforms to bring the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to public hospitals.
Hospitals will be able to prescribe PBS medications for up to one month’s supply.
Hospitals will have access to subsidised chemotherapy drugs for use by day-admitted patients and outpatients.
Reform includes implementation of the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council guidelines.

Victoria is committed to improving care for patients moving between hospital and community. As part of this strategy, the Commonwealth and Victoria have been working together to improve the way patients get their medication by bringing the Commonwealth's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to public hospitals.

The Commonwealth and Victoria have initiated reforms to bring the Commonwealth's PBS to public hospitals.

Pharmaceutical reform

The reforms are designed to make it safer, easier and more convenient for patients to receive adequate medication, and to bring public hospitals to a more equal footing with private hospitals.

Under the scheme, hospitals will be able to prescribe PBS medication for up to one month to all non-admitted patients, and to patients upon discharge.

The key objectives of the reforms are to:

provide patients with up to one month's supply of medications rather than the limited supply they previously received
improve continuity of pharmaceutical care
provide access to a group of subsidised chemotherapy drugs for use by day-admitted patients and outpatients, restoring equity between public and private hospital patients and decreasing the financial burden on public hospital pharmacies
improve communication with patients and primary health care providers through the implementation of the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council guidelines on the continuum of pharmaceutical care.