Needle & Syringe Program Tasmania

Under the Public Health Act 1997, injecting equipment must only be supplied on behalf of the permit holder by pharmacists and pharmacy assistants who hold a current certificate.

A certificate is issued when approved training is completed and a Training Accreditation Form is submitted to DOH, together with the Statement of Completion of Training which is issued by the College.

Certificates are valid for three years. Staff must reapply for a certificate prior to their current certificate expiring using this form.

NOTE: It is important that both the pharmacy and individual staff keep a record of when certificates need to be renewed as DOH does not send reminders.  Staff providing NSP products to the public are in breach of the Act if their certificate is out of date.

NOTE: Certificates are issued to individuals not the pharmacy - if you believe you have certificate obtained while employed at another pharmacy, as a student, or under a different surname email the Guild Branch Office for assistance at tascomms@guild.org.au.

NSP training in Tasmania is provided online free of charge through the Australasian College of Pharmacy (the College).

Accessing Training

STEP 1:  Subscribe to the College.  This is a simple free process, that can take up to 2 business days.  Once processed the applicant will receive an email message confirming their subscription and advising on how to update their password etc.

STEP 2:  Enroll for the training by selecting the appropriate course as below.

Pharmacy Assistant Needle and Syringe Program and Harm Reduction Training
https://guilded.guild.org.au/course/view.php?id=1826

Harm Reduction for Tasmanian Pharmacists
https://guilded.guild.org.au/enrol/index.php?id=1705

Both courses have recently been reviewed and updated and are QCPP accredited. The Pharmacist training is also CPD accredited.

STEP 3: Complete the appropriate training course and answer the assessment questions.  Initially you will have two opportunities to do the assessment.

NOTE: If you fail both times you can request to have the assessment reset to give you a further two opportunities. Email learninganddevelopment@guild.org.au for assistance.

STEP 4:  Once you have passed the assessment download the Training Completion Statement and email this together with the Training Accreditation form to nsp@health.tas.gov.au.

Once the DOH receive both documents, your application will be processed and the Certificate will be emailed out to the applicant at the email address they have provided.

NOTE: Copies of Certificates are not sent to the pharmacy, only to the applicant. Owners should make sure that staff provide a copy of their Certificate to be held in the pharmacy.

NOTE: While the Act does not require staff to redo the training every three years, it is strongly recommended that all staff do so, to ensure they are up to date with current information and trends.

CH2 are the DOH's suppliers in Tasmania for all Needle and Syringe Program equipment, including all fit packs.

CH2 has provided all Tasmanian community pharmacies that have a current valid NSP Permit with an individual username and ordering code (along with instructions on how to use the new system).

Please contact CH2 direct if you do not have your user name and ordering code or need support with ordering: sales.support@ch2.net.au.