The recent COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report highlighted the contributions of frontline healthcare providers, including community pharmacists, who played a critical role in delivering life-saving services throughout the pandemic. The report praised how swiftly the sector adapted to meet unprecedented challenges and underlines the importance of empowering health professionals to operate to their full scope of practice, particularly in times of crisis.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Professor Trent Twomey, highlighted the pivotal role community pharmacists played in vaccinating Australians.
“In the most trying of circumstances, community pharmacists rose to the challenge to get Australians vaccinated and protected.
“They stayed open late, adopted e-scripts in record time, and against all odds recruited the staff needed to roll out a world-leading vaccination program. At the height of the pandemic, Australia’s 6000 community pharmacies administered over 12 million vaccinations.”
The report underscored the need to leverage the full skillset of Australia’s health workforce, recommending that the expertise of pharmacists, nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers, and other healthcare providers be utilised from the onset of future health crises. It also calls for supporting multidisciplinary care teams to help address workforce shortages, reduce service delays, and improve patient access to care.
A key recommendation is the national harmonisation of pharmacists' scope of practice to ensure all patients can access the same health care.
Professor Twomey said the pandemic transformed healthcare delivery, integrating teams and primary healthcare providers to offer a wider range of patient services. “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,” he said.
“The pandemic demonstrated the benefit of community pharmacists working to their full scope of practice, which has inspired states and territories to empower pharmacists to treat a broader range of everyday health conditions.”
Recently, pharmacists across all jurisdictions gained the authority to prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), providing women with timely treatment options that are already alleviating pressure on general practitioners.
“Making it easier for patients to access healthcare by expanding the range of services available at community pharmacy is a vital next step.
“Community pharmacists stand ready to support improved access and better health outcomes for all Australians,” Professor Twomey said.
Pharmacist Kristina Fox vaccinating patient at TerryWhite Chemmart Rosny Park
