APC Accreditation Committee

This By-Law describes the membership, function and responsibilities of the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) Accreditation Committee (AC) in accordance with the Objects in the Constitution.

The APC AC is an operational committee that reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). It is responsible for making decisions on accreditation matters for APC in accordance with policies set by the APC Board.

As per the APC Constitution, this By-Law sets out the AC’s objectives and role. In the event of any inconsistency between the APC Constitution and this By-Law, the APC Constitution prevails.

The role of the AC is to:

• Report accreditation decisions on matters that fall under the National Law to the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA) via APC.
• Conduct its affairs under this By-Law, and according to policies and guidelines approved by the Board.
• Decide and monitor the accreditation of pharmacy degree and intern training programs against the relevant accreditation standards.
• Report accreditation decisions on matters that fall under the National Law to the Pharmacy Board of Australia (PharmBA) via APC.
• Make recommendations to the APC Board on the following matters (which are not accreditation decisions to be made by the AC): 
  • revoking the accreditation of a program
  • granting, revoking or extending the accreditation of an international degree program.
• Undertake any other accreditation activities referred to it by the CEO.

The AC is a skills-based committee. Members are appointed as individuals, not representatives of their organisations.

The AC is comprised of up to twelve individuals which includes at least one APC Board Director.

A quorum at every meeting shall be formed by seven members of the committee, one of whom must be the Chair or Deputy Chair.

4.1 Skills and attributes

4.1.1 All members

All AC members are expected to have experience on decision-making committees and be able to synthesise complex information to make decisions or develop recommendations for the APC Board.

4.1.2 Position specifications

Each AC position has skills and attributes that are unique to the role. These are described in Appendix A: Accreditation Committee Positions.

4.2 Chair

The Chair will be appointed by the APC Board in accordance with the skills, experience and terms described in this By-Law.

4.3 Deputy Chair

The Deputy Chair will be appointed by the CEO following a nomination and voting process within the AC.

The Deputy Chair will be an individual who has been appointed to the AC in position two.

The Deputy Chair acts in the role of Chair if the Chair is unable to fulfil their responsibilities. This may be due to Chair absence (for a full meeting) or conflict with a specific agenda item during a meeting.

4.4 Quorum

A quorum at every meeting shall be formed by 50% plus one, which is seven members of the committee.

Vacant AC positions will be advertised publicly via an EOI process.

A Selection Committee may be appointed by the CEO to develop recommendations for appointments.

All members (including the Chair and Deputy Chair) can be appointed for up to three terms for periods of up to 3 years.

The APC CEO (at their discretion) can make an exception to the maximum term limits described in this By-Law for individuals appointed to the AC if needed to ensure that the required level of knowledge and expertise is maintained within the overall composition of the AC.

AC members are required to:

• complete induction training at the commencement of their appointment
• complete cultural safety training as prescribed by APC within 6 months of appointment
• meet relevant APC policies and codes for the duration of their AC appointment. This includes (but is not limited to):
  • Code of Conduct for Committee Members
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Duties and Responsibilities of Committee Members

Pharmacist and academic members will be eligible for inclusion on the APC Assessor Register, and are strongly encouraged to attend at least one accreditation site visit within their term of appointment.

The AC will meet up to six times a year.

A minimum of two meetings each year will be held face to face. The remainder will be via video conference.

If required in exceptional circumstances, decisions may be made by the AC between scheduled meetings via the APC Decision by Electronic Resolution Policy.

Agenda papers will be distributed electronically in advance of each meeting.

• Code of Conduct for Committee Members
• Conflict of Interest Policy
• Decision by Electronic Resolution Policy
• Duties and Responsibilities of Committee Members