The future of medicines: good for people, good for the planet
The National Medicines Symposium is an annual, cross-disciplinary event bringing together leading organisations, experts, clinicians, consumers and policymakers to discuss and debate key issues around quality use of medicines.
Session 1:
A case for change – how appropriate use of medicines contributes to a sustainable healthcare system and planet (65 mins)
Session 2:
Medicines and appropriate care in practice (80 mins)
Session 3:
Carbon footprint of medicines – improving sustainability across the medicine lifecycle for better health (80 mins)
Session 4:
Thinking differently – innovative approaches to drive sustainable and quality use of medicines (80mins)
Lightning Talks (30 mins)
Event Description
In Australia, health care contributes close to 7% of our nation’s greenhouse gases, with medicines being one of the largest contributors. Pharmaceutical waste throughout the global supply chain can lead to environmental, human, and animal toxicities, and in the case of antibiotic residues, to antimicrobial resistance.
Delivering environmentally sustainable and adaptable health services is critical for all sectors and an important national priority. Incorporating sustainable practices in healthcare settings, including the appropriate use of medicines can improve the safety and quality of care, improve the health of the community, reduce low value care, unwarranted variation and reduce waste.
Hosted for the first time by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, this virtual event will bring together leading organisations, experts, clinicians, consumers, and policymakers in a timely discussion on emerging and key issues around sustainability and the quality use of medicines.
About the Program
The overarching theme of the symposium is “The future of medicines: good for people, good for the planet”.
The symposium will feature healthcare leaders and champions of sustainability from overseas and Australia sharing ideas, innovations, challenges, and solutions for medicine sustainability and appropriate care. The symposium will have a strong focus on highlighting innovative ideas and initiatives that could be incorporated to improve appropriate use of medicines.
Key highlights
- Hear from experts, healthcare professionals, policymakers and thought leaders from around the world on how appropriate use of medicines can contribute to a sustainable healthcare system
- Gain insights into the significant impact of pharmaceutical waste and the role of medicines in contributing to greenhouse gases
- Explore innovative practices, initiatives, and success stories driving positive change in sustainable and quality use of medicines
- Join the conversation on fostering a culture of sustainability within health care, ensuring quality patient care while reducing waste
NMS 2023 PROGRAM
10:00 – 10:03 am | Welcome to Country | Yvonne Weldon |
10:03 – 10:05 am | Introduction with MC | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster |
10:05 – 10:15 am | Opening Address | Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy |
10:15 – 10:30 am | Welcome Address: Introducing quality use of medicines (QUM) and the link to sustainability | Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan Chief Executive Officer, ACSQHC |
10:30 – 10:45 am | Safety, quality and sustainability in medicines | Professor Paul Kelly Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Aged Care |
10:45 – 11:00 am | Approach to medicines and health system sustainability in the United Kingdom | Professor Nick Watts Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England |
11:00 – 11:15 am | Medicines, health and environmental sustainability: the consumer perspective | Dr Elizabeth Deveny Chief Executive Officer, Consumers Health Forum |
11:15 – 11:20 am | Interactive Q&A Session: Improving sustainability in practice | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster |
11:30 – 11:45 am | Overdiagnosis, overtreatment and low value care | Professor Paul Glasziou Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, Bond University |
11:45 – 12:00 pm | Harnessing medicine stewardship for sustainability | Associate Professor Liz Marles Clinical Director, ACSQHC and General Practitioner, Hornsby-Brooklyn GP Unit |
12:00 – 12:15 pm | The future of medicines: good for people, good for the planet | Dr Kate Charlesworth Medical Director, Climate Risk and Net Zero Unit, NSW Ministry of Health |
12:15 – 12:45 pm | Panel Discussion: What can be done to drive more appropriate prescribing in practice? | Professor Alexandra Barratt Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney
Mr Tim Perry Consultant Pharmacist
Dr Brett Montgomery |
12:45 – 12:50 pm | Interactive Q&A Session: Sustainability of antimicrobials | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster |
A practical guide: Using the Atlas of Healthcare Variation to identify variation in opioid medicines dispensing in your local area
Myu Arumuganathan, Data Reporting Strategy Manager, Healthcare Variation, ACSQHC
Opioid analgesic stewardship in Acute Pain Clinical Care Standard
Steve Waller, Senior Project Officer, Medication without harm, ACSQHC
Perioperative opioid stewardship programs and post-surgical discharge opioid prescribing
Dr Megan Allen, Anaesthetist, Royal Melbourne Hospital and The University of Melbourne
Opioid type and persistent postoperative opioid use
Evan Michell, St Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Medicine
Evidence based clinical practice guidelines for deprescribing opioids
Dr Aili Langford, Research Fellow, Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University
Pre-transplant opioid use and lung transplant outcomes
Dr Christian Haron, The School of Medicine Sydney, The University of Notre Dame Australia and St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney.
1:20 – 1:35 pm | Sustainability in medicines as a global priority | Associate Professor Alpana Mair Head of Effective Prescribing and Therapeutics, Scottish Government and Senior Consultant, WHO |
1:35 – 1:50 pm | The carbon footprint of pharmaceuticals: Why is QUM so important? | Dr Forbes McGain Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Physician, Western Health, Melbourne and Associate Professor, Sustainable Healthcare, University of Melbourne |
1:50 – 2:05 pm | Climate-conscious care of respiratory diseases | Dr Valeria Stoynova and Dr Celia Culley CASCADES, Centre for Sustainable Health Systems |
2:05 – 2:35 pm | Panel Discussion: What can be done to reduce carbon footprint of medicines and minimise pharmaceutical waste? | Dr Eugenie Kayak Doctors for the Environment Australia
Ms Grace Wong Pharmacists for the Environment Australia |
2:35 – 2:40 pm | Interactive Q&A Session: Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience Healthcare Module in development | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster
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2:50 – 3:05 pm | What can consumers do to support environmental sustainability of health care? | Ms Darlene Cox Executive Director, Health Care Consumers’ Association |
3:05 – 3:20 pm | How digital health technologies promote the appropriate use of medicines and contribute | Dr Paul Miles Director eHealth and Medication Safety, ACSQHC |
3:20 – 3:35 pm | Quality Use of Medicines – sustainable systems | Professor Faye McMillan AM Community Pharmacist, Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner, Professor in Indigenous Health, UTS |
3:35 – 4:05 pm | Panel Discussion: Projects and case studies that could be opportunities to scale | Dr Emma-Leigh Synnott Medical Advisor, Sustainable Development Unit, Western Australia Department of Health
Ms Toni Riley Pharmacist – RUM Project
Professor Branwen Morgan Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission (AMR) Lead at CSIRO |
4:05 – 4:10 pm | Interactive Q&A Session: Sustainable prescribing in general practice | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster |
4:10 – 4:20pm | Closing Address | Professor Villis Marshall AC Chair of the Board of the ACSQHC |
4:20 – 4:25pm | Close with MC | Ms Tegan Taylor Journalist and Broadcaster
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NMS 2023 SPEAKERS
Ms Tegan Taylor
NMS 2023 Host, Journalist and Broadcaster
Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health
Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan
Chief Executive Officer, ACSQHC
Professor Villis Marshall AC
Chair of the Board of the ACSQHC
Professor Paul Kelly
Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Aged Care
Dr Nick Watts
Chief Sustainability Officer, NHS England
Dr Elizabeth Deveny
Chief Executive Officer, Consumers Health Forum
Professor Paul Glasziou
Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, Bond University
Associate Professor Liz Marles
Clinical Director, ACSQHC and General Practitioner, Hornsby-Brooklyn GP Unit
Dr Kate Charlesworth
Medical Director, Climate Risk and Net Zero Unit, NSW Ministry of Health
Professor Alexandra Barratt
Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney
Mr Tim Perry
Consultant Pharmacist
Dr Brett Montgomery
General Practitioner and Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia
Associate Professor Alpana Mair
Head of Effective Prescribing and Therapeutics, Scottish Government and Senior Consultant, WHO
Dr Forbes McGain
Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Physician, Western Health, Melbourne and Associate Professor, Sustainable Healthcare, University of Melbourne
Dr Valeria Stoynova and Dr Celia Culley
CASCADES, Centre for Sustainable Health Systems
Dr Eugenie Kayak
Doctors for the Environment Australia
Ms Grace Wong
Pharmacists for the Environment Australia
Ms Darlene Cox
Executive Director, Health Care Consumers’ Association
Dr Paul Miles
Director eHealth and Medication Safety, ACSQHC
Professor Faye McMillan AM
Community Pharmacist, Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner, Professor in Indigenous Health, UTS
Dr Emma-Leigh Synnott
Medical Advisor, Sustainable Development Unit, Western Australia Department of Health
Ms Toni Riley
Pharmacist – RUM Project
Professor Branwen Morgan
Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission (AMR) Lead at CSIRO
Dr Emma-Leigh Synnott
Medical Advisor, Sustainable Development Unit, Western Australia Department of Health
Acknowledgement of Country
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care acknowledges the Traditional Owners, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation on whose land the Commission’s office is located, and the lands across Australia where those we partner with work. The Commission pays our deep respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging.
Sea urchin design: Ms Tanya Taylor is a Worimi artist (mid-north coast of New South Wales) who is drawn to the underwater world through a deep connection with her saltwater heritage. Tanya’s design is inspired by the patterns found in the sea urchins, corals and sea creatures found in the ocean.
Privacy Policy
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Email NMS@safetyandquality.gov.au if you prefer not to receive communications from us.