Expansion of NSW pharmacy scope of practice welcome

Pharmacy industry leaders have welcomed the announcement from the NSW Government to improve patient access to medicines and vaccines by expanding the scope of practice for NSW pharmacists.

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) NSW President Chelsea Felkai said the move will improve access to medicines and vaccinations for residents across NSW, helping to address the current GP shortages.

“Giving patients across NSW greater access to vaccinations, contraception and medicines for minor ailments through local pharmacies will significantly improve access to healthcare, especially in regional and rural parts of the state,” Ms Felkai said.

“Trained Queensland pharmacists have been successfully prescribing for uncomplicated UTIs since 2020, giving patients timely access to medicines in an environment where it could otherwise take up to six weeks to get a GP appointment.

“Pharmacists have the skills and expertise to renew patient prescriptions for ongoing health concerns, especially where their chronic condition is stable, removing barriers to medicine access.

“As the most accessible healthcare professional, pharmacists should be able to offer patients renewals of their ongoing medications.

“Allowing pharmacists to renew prescriptions for oral contraceptives is the first step in giving patients greater access to medicines for stable but chronic conditions that have already been diagnosed.”

PSA National President, Dr Fei Sim, also commended the NSW Government on this announcement and called on other jurisdictions to follow suit.

“PSA has been calling on governments around Australia to allow pharmacists to play a greater role in community health. It’s great to see NSW leading the way in improving patient access to medicines.

“Pharmacists have the skills and medicine expertise to renew prescriptions for stable, chronic conditions. With ongoing GP shortages across the country, it is time for other jurisdictions to follow NSW’s lead.”

The NSW Pharmacy Guild also welcome the announcement with NSW Pharmacy Guild Branch President David Heffernan saying this is a great win for patients across the State.

 “This is a great outcome for patients across NSW who often struggle to get timely, adequate healthcare for everyday ailments,” Mr Heffernan said. 

“As the NSW Government recognised today, an asthma attack doesn’t wait for a GP appointment, a UTI infection doesn’t wait for a GP appointment. 

“These are common, manageable health conditions that can be safely delivered by well-trained, experienced community pharmacists with appropriate training, rather than further clogging up our overstretched GP system. 

“We know from our experience delivering vaccinations during COVID-19 that pharmacists can do more – we have the training, the capacity, and the skills to support the urgent healthcare needs of local communities across NSW.” 

Mr Heffernan said that enabling pharmacists to provide everyday health services was an obvious, practical step to give quicker access to healthcare support now. 

“Our recent NSW Pharmacy Guild research shows that 9 out 10 NSW voters support pharmacists increasing their scope of work,” Mr Heffernan said.

“This reform will help to ease the burden on our health system and make sure everybody has access to the everyday healthcare they need.” 

The NSW Government announcement today follows similar reforms in Queensland as well as New Zealand, Canada and the UK. 

“[The] announcement that the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot will be rolled out state-wide in NSW is good news for patients,” National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Professor Trent Twomey said.

“Australians deserve first-world healthcare. I congratulate the NSW and Queensland governments on making these increased services available to their communities. 

“Pharmacists are calling on the other Premiers to follow the lead of the Perrottet and Palaszcuk governments. Now that we have clinical alignment on the eastern seaboard, national consistency is needed to see genuine system reform.” 

The NSW Government has committed to a 12-month trial allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for urinary tract infections (UTIs) similar to the program already trialled in Queensland, as well as a state-wide trial of pharmacist prescribing for oral contraceptives, and medication for ear infections and minor skin ailments.

Pharmacists will also be able to administer more vaccinations from Monday 14 November, including Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Poliomyelitis, Typhoid, and Zoster vaccines.