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These illnesses once needed a trip to the GP. Now a pharmacist can treat you
The worsening GP shortage in NSW will see the state government broaden the conditions that pharmacists can treat in local chemist shops, including ear infections, stomach bugs and joint pain.
NSW Health is working on expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists to allow them to treat more conditions including middle ear infections, acute minor wound management, acute nausea and vomiting and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.
Pharmacists will also be able to prescribe treatment for moderate acne and mild acute musculoskeletal pain.
Pharmacists will soon be able to treat a broad range of conditions, bypassing the need to see a GP.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
Expanding the conditions pharmacists can diagnose and provide medication for is part of the NSW government’s push to alleviate pressure on GPs, which results in many patients turning to hospital emergency departments.
The number of GPs in NSW has been declining since 2018. There were about 9550 GPs in NSW in the 2022–23 financial year, down from 10,062 the year before.
At the same time, emergency departments are being swamped with patients. There were 792,841 visits to NSW emergency departments in the first three months of this year, the most of any quarter since the Bureau of Health Information started counting in 2010.
More than 490 pharmacies across the state have already participated in the oral contraceptive pill trial since it began in September last year, delivering more than 1800 consultations to women.
That trial followed the successful completion of the first phase of an earlier pharmacy trial, which saw more than 3300 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 on June 1, 2024.
Trial under way
The third and final phase of the trial allowing pharmacists to manage common minor skin conditions such as school sores and shingles is under way and will be running until early 2025.
NSW Health is consulting universities on the development of suitable training and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on upskilling pharmacists in clinical assessment, diagnosis, management, and documentation.
The health department has also agreed to authorise individual pharmacists who have completed the Queensland pilot training to deliver selected services in NSW from January 2025 onwards.
The Queensland government has been trialling a pilot that allows pharmacists to diagnose and treat up to 17 conditions, including shingles, mild psoriasis, wound management, swimmer’s ear, travel health and hypertension.
NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park, who made the announcement at the Pharmacy Guild’s Pharmacy Connect Conference on Thursday, said people should be able to access “as and when they need it”.
“We know that it is becoming more difficult to access a GP than ever before, with people often waiting days or even weeks before they can find an appointment,” Park said.
“By empowering pharmacists to undertake consultations on more conditions, we can relieve the pressure on GPs and end the wait times.”
Subject to appropriate training and ongoing work in implementation, the expanded services delivery could start in NSW pharmacies from 2026.
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