“In the most trying of circumstances, community pharmacists rose to the challenge to get Australians vaccinated and protected,” Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Professor Trent Twomey said.
“They stayed open late, adopted e-scripts in record time and against all odds recruited the staff they needed to roll-out the world-leading vaccination program. At the height of the pandemic, Australia’s 6000 community pharmacies administered more than 12 million vaccinations.”
The Covid 19 Inquiry Report states:
- The breadth of expertise of nurses, pharmacists, Aboriginal Health Workers and other health workers should be more appropriately drawn on from the outset of a health crisis to support logistical efforts.
- Leveraging the full skillset of qualified health professionals (including nurses, pharmacists, and Aboriginal health workers) and supporting multidisciplinary team care will help address workforce shortages, reduce service delays, improve access to care and put our healthcare system in a better position to address future health emergencies.
- Each jurisdiction has its own scope of practice for pharmacists with clear inconsistencies and recommends that the Independent Review into Scope of Practice makes recommendations around national harmonisation.
“The pandemic set a new standard for health delivery, integrating teams and primary healthcare providers to provide a broader range of patient services,” Professor Twomey said
“Before Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination program, many Australians had never visited a community pharmacy for vaccination. Today, almost one quarter of all vaccinations are delivered in a pharmacy.
“The pandemic showed the benefit of community pharmacists working to their full scope of practice. It continues to inspire state and territories to empower community pharmacists to treat a broader range of everyday health conditions. Just this week community pharmacists across all jurisdictions can prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs. This takes pressure off GPs and gives women more options in the treatment of this acute and common condition.”
“Making it easier for patients to access healthcare by expanding the range of services available at community pharmacy is a vital next step and we hope the Independent Scope of Practice Review provides recommendations about nationally consistent reforms. Community pharmacists stand ready to support improved access and improved health outcomes.” Professor Twomey said.