Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has announced that the Department of Health will look at ways the role of Tasmanian pharmacists can be extended in the provision of healthcare services.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia welcomes the announcement but says pharmacists can do more now.
Tasmanian Branch President Helen O’Byrne says Tasmania’s community pharmacists are ready to step up and provide the same increased range of services as their interstate counterparts.
“Data released by ABS last week highlights more people are waiting longer to see a General Practitioner for urgent medical care, especially those living in outer regional, remote, or very remote areas than those living in major cities,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“We know that Tasmania is experiencing severe GP shortages not only in regional areas across the state but also in the outer suburbs of Hobart, which are growing in population and therefore experiencing higher demand.”
Pointing to Queensland UTI trial and its developments, Ms O’Byrne says that in Tasmania accessing healthcare can be difficult for women who develop the condition on weekends.
“Many women end up in hospital emergency departments”, Ms O’Byrne said.
“Apart from additional financial stress this places on the health system and the considerable stress and pain suffered by the patient, this places an unnecessary burden on emergency staff who are needed to deal with urgent and serious medical conditions.”
Considering COVID vaccinations, Tasmanian pharmacists have administered more than 270,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to date.
“It makes sense to expand pharmacists’ vaccination scope in Tasmania, given the numbers of community pharmacies already offering vaccinations services”, Ms O’Byrne said.
“Pharmacists should be able to initiate vaccinations based on clinical need, without the need for a prescription from a GP, given the issues in accessing a GP in the first instance.”
Recent changes to pharmacists’ vaccination scope in other jurisdictions include pharmacist initiation and administration of travel vaccines, Shingles, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and Japanese Encephalitis (in line with ATAGI guidelines) and includes lowering the age threshold to vaccinate children.
Ms O’Byrne says she is confident the Government’s Review of Pharmacist Scope, set to commence in the new year, will result in a positive productive outcome for pharmacists and patients and reiterates that any changes will be underpinned by rigorous education and training for pharmacists.
“Tasmanians should not have to wait for the results of the review for initiatives that have already been proven successful in other Australian jurisdictions to be implemented”, Ms O’Byrne said.
“Just like their interstate counterparts Tasmanian community pharmacists are ready to extend their range of professional services right now.”
