LHA made a submission to the consultation on the draft Pharmacist Capability Framework, recognising pharmacists as highly accessible health professionals for many LGBTIQ+ people, particularly in regional and rural areas. The submission welcomed the move to a future-focused, capability-based framework, while stressing that health equity, cultural safety and inclusive practice for LGBTIQ+ populations must be made explicit, given pharmacists’ expanding roles across prescribing, vaccination, harm reduction and sexual health.

LHA identified gaps in the Framework around inclusive communication about sex, gender, variations of sex characteristics and sexual orientation, and called for alignment with the ABS 2020 Standard. The submission recommended embedding inclusive practice across all capability domains, partnering with LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations in education and training, and ensuring adequate resourcing so inclusive, affirming care is treated as core professional practice.

You can read the full submission here.