LEARNING GLOBALLY AND INSPIRING LOCALLY: The quest to create an Australian framework for a Palliative Care Pharmacist
With
Helen Stone, SA/NT State and Territory Manager
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA)
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide | February 2026
Helen is the State and Territory Manager SA & NT for the Pharmaceutical Society Australia. Her professional interests include palliative care, pharmacist professional services, mental health, leadership, and management.
With a strong vision for expanding pharmacist roles, Helen has effectively leveraged the expertise of GP pharmacists, aged care pharmacist pioneers and key research studies to implement funded service delivery programs. In recent projects, she has led teams of pharmacists in innovative pharmacy practice models including in aged care, GP practice, palliative care and dementia support. This has contributed to the body of evidence for sustainable funding for embedded pharmacist roles in primary care and aged care settings.
Helen is a member of Palliative Care Australia’s National Expert Advisory Panel and continues as an inaugural member of the SA Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board.
She provides regular expert opinion for legislation and pharmacist programs across her jurisdiction including vaccinations by pharmacists, voluntary assisted dying, palliative care and innovative pharmacist practice.
She is a graduate of the AICD, the SA Governor’s Leadership Foundation program and in 2020 was awarded an Churchill Trust fellowship. Helen travelled to Canada, the UK and New Zealand to articulate a framework for the role of Palliative Care Pharmacist in community and aged care in Australia.
The role of the pharmacist in a multidisciplinary team is not well understood even though medications are a key enabler for people to die in the place of their choosing. Pharmacists are medication experts and palliative care pharmacists are currently only engaged in the acute care setting. The pharmacist facilitates communication with specialist services as the medicines expert on prescribing and de-prescribing medicines. Palliative Care pharmacists should be accessible in the community, aged care and other care settings outside of acute hospitals and Helen’s project articulated a framework for the role in an Australian context.
Recently, Helen was awarded a Fellowship of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia in recognition of her significant advancement of the practice of pharmacists and outstanding contribution to the Society over an extended period of time.
Source: Supplied and referenced from the Winston Churchill Trust website
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Student nurse placements in primary health care
With an urgent need to manage increasing rates of chronic disease, an ageing population, and a rapidly-ageing primary health care nurse workforce, Australia desperately needs more primary health care nurses to enter the workforce before the current generation retires and cannot pass on its skills.
Most nurses start their career in a hospital. Historically, it was difficult for universities and tertiary education providers to arrange placements for student nurses in primary health care. However, the APNA Student Nurse Placement Program provides student nurses with a foot in the door to a career in vibrant primary health care settings such as general practice or community health to perform supervised activities.
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Medicinal cannabis in Australia Update
According to the Australian Journal of General Practice, published by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, more than 130,000 medicinal cannabis approvals have been issued in Australia to date, mostly by general practitioners, with approximately 65% of these to treat chronic non-cancer pain. Despite robust supportive data from animal models, current clinical trial evidence for THC and CBD efficacy in chronic pain is incomplete. In their prescribing decisions, doctors must balance patient demand and curiosity with caution regarding potential risks and limited efficacy.
Australian Health Journal met with 3 speakers at the recent ARCS22 Conference providing an update on medicinal cannabis. The discussion with the speakers now centres on affordability and access.
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Evolution in consumer diagnostics with saliva based pathology
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer diagnostics have rapidly advanced, with more people becoming aware of and comfortable using at-home testing. These tests provide greater convenience, control, and empowerment, allowing individuals to monitor their health without immediately consulting a healthcare professional. Recently, this shift has been particularly impactful in areas such as pregnancy testing, where saliva-based diagnostics now enable earlier and more accessible detection.
