Following yesterday’s updates on new pharmacy funding initiatives announced in Tasmania and Victoria, industry response has been mixed.
‘We welcome the announcement’
In Victoria, the government announced an $18 million investment to make the Victorian Community Pharmacist Statewide Pilot permanent and expand conditions pharmacists can treat patients for across the state.
The expansion of healthcare services available in community pharmacies will now include treatment for 22 everyday health conditions.
Under the expanded program, the Victorian Government will fund the pharmacist consultations, ensuring patients can access care without out-of-pocket costs.
“We very much welcome this announcement, which is both a significant and appropriate development for the pharmacy profession in Victoria,” says Associate Professor Steven Walker, Director of Experiential Development and Graduate Education at Monash University’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
“As the medicine experts, pharmacists are well positioned to make person-centred prescribing decisions, which ultimately benefits patients.”
Pharmacist education is central to the program’s expansion, and Associate Professor Walker says “Monash University is well placed” to meet the demand for specialised training.
“As a world leader in pharmacy education, Monash University is well placed to deliver comprehensive post-graduate education to support pharmacists to take on this prescribing role,” he says.
“Monash University already delivers education to various groups of healthcare prescribers and we are collaborating with our prescribing colleagues across the University to design a course that will allow pharmacists to make collaborative, person-centred and safe prescribing decisions that support patient care and quality use of medicines.”
‘Patient safety ahead of pharmacy profits’
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has raised concerns over the Victorian Government’s decision to expand pharmacist prescribing powers, warning the move may compromise patient care.
“Patient safety must come first ahead of pharmacy owner profits,” says RACGP Victoria Chair, Dr Anita Munoz.
“Expanding pharmacy prescribing may seem like a straightforward and convenient answer to improving access to care but it’s not the right solution.
“The Victorian Government should instead be investing in better access to medical care in all communities, rather than opting for a cheap, easy ‘fix’ that doesn’t prioritise high-quality patient care.”
Commenting on the education required to properly diagnose and treat various medical conditions, Dr Munoz says “pharmacists don’t have the training required […] which raises the risk of inappropriate treatment [and] misdiagnosis”.
“GPs […] spend a decade training to diagnose conditions, this is not something that can be easily taught over a few weeks via an online course,” says Dr Munoz, highlighting that the management of chronic conditions “doesn’t belong in retail pharmacy”.
Another concern raised is the potential for fragmented care and GPs being left in the dark about patient care.
“Expanding pharmacy prescribing powers also fragments care, leading to a less well-connected health system and poorer patient health outcomes,” says Dr Munoz.
“We know from other jurisdictions that very few pharmacy consults lead to a GP referral, so the GP is effectively kept in the dark.
“This is particularly risky for patients with multiple, chronic conditions that need to be carefully managed by a regular GP who has precisely one priority in mind – the health and wellbeing of their patient.”
Pointing to overseas examples, Dr Munoz says governments must prioritise high standards of patient care and medical expertise.
“Overseas we have seen models of expanding pharmacy prescribing fail,” she says.
“Instead, governments should get behind general practice and back GPs and practice teams to do what we do best – provide high-quality care to patients in our communities.”
