Women in Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) can access oral contraceptives from their pharmacist as states try to ease pressure on GPs.
Over 900 pharmacies across NSW will participate in the second phase of the government’s statewide pharmacy prescribing trial from Sept. 27. It could save thousands of women out-of-pocket GP prescription costs.
However, if taking the medication for the first time, women must still obtain a prescription from the doctor.
The government will provide participating pharmacists $20 (US$12.65) per consultation to support administration costs.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the “new and innovative” trial ensures safe and timely access to essential medicines and alleviates pressure on primary care services.
Further, he said the government are undertaking the “necessary evaluations” to ensure they “get this right.”
Nearly 3,000 women accessed faster and easier assessment and treatment for urinary tract infection (UTI) during the pilot phase of the pharmacy prescribing trial in July.
University of Newcastle Pharmacist and lead researcher Sarah Dineen-Griffin said the early evidence from the first trial phase suggested a “very real benefit” from increased treatment avenues.
However, the “heart” of the second phase trial was whole health system improvements and finding new ways to meet the community’s evolving healthcare needs, she added.
The only out-of-pocket costs for women seeking a resupply of their pill would be the medication.
The University of Newcastle led the trial and works closely with a multi-faceted team of GPs, clinicians, pharmacists, rural clinicians, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Queensland Pharmacy Pilot Statewide Expansion
In addition to the pill, Queensland’s pilot program will allow pharmacists to prescribe asthma medications as the state aims to take pressure off hospitals from Sept. 25.The pilot was initially planned for North Queensland. However, the government announced an expansion for the whole state’s improved consumer medication access.
Hundreds of Queensland pharmacists can apply to participate in the program to administer a more comprehensive range of vaccines and prescribe medicines for nausea and vomiting, nasal congestion and runny nose, mild skin conditions, heart disease risk reduction, and support to quit smoking.
Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said 300 pharmacists signed up for the North Queensland trial; however, hundreds more would participate in the statewide program.
“Pharmacists are highly trained and regulated healthcare professionals, and this pilot will ensure their expertise is used to its full scope,” Ms. Fentiman said.
She said it would also help address workforce shortages and distribution problems, particularly in regional and rural communities.
“This program is designed to supplement, not replace, existing services and give consumers more choice.”
It comes after about 10,000 women accessed UTI treatment in Queensland’s successful UTI Pharmacy Pilot.
“The UTI Pharmacy Pilot and international evidence show that allowing pharmacists to prescribe for common conditions is a safe and efficient way to improve health outcomes,” Ms. Fentiman said.
The state government blamed Queenslanders’ struggle to access primary care on a decade of under-investment by the former Coalition federal governments.
However, acting Queensland Branch President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Rick Xynias said Queensland is now leading the way for community pharmacists to practice their full scope of training, and the announcement underlines the critical role they play within the primary healthcare network.
RACGP Warns ‘Hundreds of Patients Wrongly Treated’
However, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) called on Ms. Fentiman to halt unsupervised pharmacy prescribing immediately.Almost 200 patients in Queensland were pharmacist-treated for UTIs despite being ineligible due to recurrent or relapsing infections, according to RACGP.
RACGP President Dr. Nicole Higgins said the final UTI report revealed alarming new details about the “troubled” pilot.
Dr. Higgins said 156 women consulted pharmacists for UTI treatment twice within six months. Thirty patients received three services within one year, and a further six consulted a pharmacist twice in two weeks. Still, none of these patients were flagged as having a recurrent UTI.
“The more we learn about this pilot, the clearer it becomes that the Queensland Government should terminate unsupervised pharmacy prescribing of UTIs,” Dr. Higgins said in May.
“Employee pharmacists are under the pump and pressure from pharmacy owners, and these pharmacists are working in stressful conditions with minimal training and support.”
Meanwhile, RACGP Queensland Chair Dr. Bruce Willett said the Queensland Government should not need further proof that this pilot was “fundamentally flawed.”
“Unsupervised pharmacy prescribing for UTIs should never have been made a permanent fixture of the state’s health system. These figures show that pharmacists are being over-worked and asked to provide services in an inappropriate setting,” Dr. Willett said.
“It almost seems like the government had a self-determined outcome in mind and just wanted to make pharmacy prescribing for UTIs permanent regardless of the pilot’s outcomes. My message to Minister Fentiman is simple - patient safety must come first.”
The RACGP also called on the Queensland Government to learn the lessons from the UTI pilot and abandon the North Queensland pilot program.
