A New South Wales (NSW) plan to allow pharmacists to treat more conditions could ease the pressure on overworked GPs, but their peak body has slammed the scheme as risking people’s health.
Pharmacists could soon be able to order prescription treatments for medical problems such as ear infections, nausea, and acne under a proposal aimed at lessening workloads on GPs.
Health Minister Ryan Park on Sep. 6 said the expanded scope for treatment could come into force by 2026 in a bid to address a shortage of doctors.
The scheme would follow additional training, building on an existing program that allows for urinary tract infection prescriptions to be delivered through pharmacies.
“It’s up to me ... to do everything I can, to pull every lever I can, to try and look at different pathways for people to access healthcare,” Park said.
But Royal Australian College of General Practitioners NSW chair Rebekah Hoffman criticised the plan as reckless and politically motivated.
“It has potentially devastating consequences for people across NSW due to the risks of incorrect treatment and serious illnesses being missed,” she said.
Diagnosing health conditions was complex and required years of medical training that could not be squeezed “into a short course for pharmacists,” Hoffman added.
“If you get a diagnosis wrong, the consequences can be devastating.”
Under the suggested changes, NSW pharmacists would be able to treat middle-ear infections, minor wounds, nausea, and vomiting and some gastro-oesophageal problems.
They would also be empowered to treat mild to moderate acne and mild acute musculoskeletal pain.
Park said the plan would ease the burden on GPs and the state’s “very busy” emergency departments.
He said people often presented to hospitals on weekends or after hours for the “uncomplicated conditions” that could be easily treated under the expanded scheme.
“This is all about making sure that we recognise the trust the community has with our pharmacists, taking pressure off our hard-working GPs and providing affordable and accessible healthcare to the community,” he added.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW branch president David Heffernan said the change would mean patients were not forced to go to hospital “for a simple ear infection, just because their GP can’t see them.”
The plan follows a Northern Territory (NT) plan to give pharmacists the power to treat 21 conditions, including school sores, shingles, asthma, swimmer’s ear, and hypertension.
The GP lobby also opposed the NT plan, announced in July, claiming it undermined Therapeutic Goods Administration rules designed to protect patients.
A pharmacy prescription pilot has also been running in Queensland.
