Peter Hatswell’s recent article in the Sunday Territorian highlights how increasing the range of services that community pharmacies provide in the Northern Territory can significantly enhance healthcare accessibility for Territorians.
By allowing pharmacists to work to their full scope of practice, Territorians would have easier access to a broader range of health services, an initiative that would bring the Territory in line with other regions of Australia and many countries worldwide, such as the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. Community pharmacists in the Northern Territory are advocating for bipartisan support to enable them to provide additional services for up to 21 conditions. These services include treatments for urinary tract infections (UTIs), school sores, shingles, wound management, asthma, swimmer’s ear, travel vaccines, and hypertension. Allowing pharmacists to provide antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated UTIs, for example, would enable patients to receive immediate care without waiting for a GP appointment or visiting an overloaded emergency department.
Across Australia, thousands of women have been treated for uncomplicated UTIs in community pharmacies under full scope of practice initiatives. Additionally, many women can now access hormonal contraception from their local community pharmacy. This approach, if embraced in the Northern Territory, will alleviate the burden on other healthcare services.
Independent research by Insightfully reveals strong public support for allowing pharmacists to practice to their full scope in the Northern Territory. Nine out of ten Territorians favour this initiative, with 84 percent expressing total trust in their community pharmacist. Patients also appreciate that pharmacies often operate longer hours than GP surgeries and are accessible during weekends, providing much-needed flexibility for patients who face some of the longest GP wait times in the country.
Currently, approximately 16 percent of Territorians wait up to three weeks for a GP appointment. Enabling pharmacists to offer immediate treatment is a logical and safe solution, freeing GPs to handle more complex cases and reducing pressure on emergency departments.
