Pharmacists to be authorised to treat more conditions

Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch has welcomed news that Coasties will soon able to access treatment for a range of ailments at their local pharmacy.

Health Minister Ryan Park announced at the recent Pharmacy Guild’s Pharmacy Connect Conference that work was underway to expand pharmacists’ scope of practice.

They will be authorised to handle: acute otitis media (middle ear infection); acute otitis externa (outer ear infection); acute minor wound management; acute nausea and vomiting; gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD); mild to moderate acne; and mild/acute musculoskeletal pain.

Subject to appropriate training and ongoing work in implementation work, the expanded service delivery could commence as soon as 2026.

NSW Health is consulting with universities on the development of suitable training as well as the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on request supports for pharmacists including: condition specific training; and upskilling in clinical assessment, diagnosis, management and clinical documentation.

NSW Health has also agreed to authorise individual pharmacists who have successfully completed the Queensland pilot training to deliver selected services in NSW from January 2025.

More than 490 pharmacies across the state have participated in the oral contraceptive pill trial since it began, delivering more than 1,800 consultations to women in NSW.

This follows the successful completion of the first phase of the trial in May 2024, which saw more than 3,300 NSW pharmacists provide more than 18,000 consultations to women aged 18 to 65 with symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI).

The UTI service transitioned to usual pharmacy care from June 2024.  1.

The third and final phase of the trial allowing pharmacists to manage common minor skin conditions is underway and will be running until early 2025.

A detailed evaluation of all three phases of the NSW Pharmacy Trial will be provided to NSW Health in 2025 and will inform future expansion of services.

Expanding the scope of practice of pharmacists forms part of the NSW Government’s broader efforts to alleviate pressure on GPs.

“I hear every day from our community about how hard it is to access a GP on the Central Coast and the flow on effect this difficulty is having on our hospital emergency departments as Coasties are pushed into the hospital as the only accessible form of care,” Tesch said.

“The NSW Government is committed to relieving the pressure on GPs in all areas under NSW jurisdiction to ensure that our community can easily access healthcare as soon as they need it.

“By expanding the Single Front Door program, increasing the services of Healthdirect, while also expanding the services undertaken by pharmacies, we are committed to improving access to care and ending wait times.”