Frequently asked questions

The Pilot is anticipated to start in July 2024.

However, until the EPAP has been published and has commenced, community pharmacists not currently participating in the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot, are not authorised to prescribe hormonal contraception.

Your Guild will communicate updates as soon as they become available.

A registration form will become available via the Queensland Health website: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/community-pharmacy-pilots/participation-requirements/queensland-community-pharmacy-hormonal-contraception-pilot

Community pharmacies currently participating in the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot must also register to be a Pilot site for the Hormonal Contraception Pilot.

Community pharmacists will be authorised to prescribe four types of hormonal contraception:

• The combined oral contraceptive pill (COC)
• The progestogen-only Pill (POP)
• Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) injection (including administration of the injection)
• Combined hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring

More information can be found in the Hormonal contraception clinical practice guideline published by Queensland Health.

The consultation fees have been set by Queensland Health as part of the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot and will vary depending on the length and complexity of the consultation. A requirement of participation in the Pilot is that pharmacies must charge the patient for the consultation at the indicative cost.

Patients must pay all costs associated with the Pilot, there is no state or federal funding available. This must be clearly communicated to patients as part of the informed financial consent process.

Consultation fees are as follows:

More information is available on the Queensland Health website: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/contacts/community-pharmacy-pilot/how-much-does-it-cost

No. Pharmacists who complete the ACP Prescribing Hormonal Contraceptives Course will receive recognition of prior learning for the hormonal contraceptives component of the Extended Community Practice for Pharmacists Course delivered by JCU.

To enable data collection and evaluation of the Pilot services, participating community pharmacies must use MedAdvisor.

Please see the below section Clinical Recording Software for further information.

Pharmacy assistants are not required to undertake any formal training for this Pilot. However, it is strongly recommended that pharmacy assistants complete the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot Training for Pharmacy Assistants Course developed by ACP.

Completion of the course will support pharmacy assistants to understand the purpose of the Pilot, its benefits, and their specific role in supporting the delivery of services under the Pilot guidelines.

The course should take approximately three hours to complete and has been approved for three hours of QCPP Refresher Training.

To enrol your pharmacy assistants, please visit the ACP website.

Community pharmacies must meet the requirements stated in relevant sections of the Queensland Community Pharmacy Pilots Registration Information Pack.

2.2.1 Pharmacy requirements

1. The pharmacy must contain a private consulting area suitable for service delivery, which:
2. ensures patients’ privacy and confidentiality;
3. has sufficient space to allow the presence of the following:
   1. the patient;
   2. a carer if necessary;
   3. the pharmacist undertaking the consultation;
   4. consumables;
   5. equipment; and
   6. documentation;
4. has seating for the patient and their carer during the consultation.
5. The pharmacy must have implemented the specific MedAdvisor Hormonal Contraception module, to collect patient information and consultation notes as well as data requirements for the evaluation of the Pilot.
6. The pharmacy must hold appropriate QCPP accreditation for all professional services delivered by the pharmacy, including Hormonal Contraception Pilot services.

Members of PDL are advised that the PDL Master Policy automatically includes professional indemnity cover for members providing a service in line with the Pilot’s approved guidelines.

If you are not insured with PDL, you must check your cover directly with your insurer.

Members who are insured with Guild Insurance are advised that all Guild Pharmacy Business policies include an additional benefit termed ‘Scope of Practice Pilots’. This means that cover for these Pilot services is automatically applied to your policy.

If you are not insured with Guild Insurance, you must check your cover directly with your insurer.

No, currently the ACP training is open only to pharmacists who hold general registration with Ahpra.

The pharmacy owner, or authorised delegate, should email the Pilot Coordination Team at Queensland Health via qld-pharmacyscopepilot@helath.qld.gov.au to register additional pharmacists to participate in the Pilot.

No, you are not qualified to participate in the Queensland Hormonal Contraception Pilot until you have completed an approved training program as listed on the Queensland Health Training Requirements webpage.

While other jurisdictions have Pilots or trials concerning contraception, only the Queensland Hormonal Contraception Pilot authorises appropriately trained pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception as opposed to resupply of low-risk oral contraception.