Pharmacy Guild welcomes legislation to enable Victorian community pharmacist prescribing pilot

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Victoria Branch, welcomes the passage of legislation that enables the Victorian community pharmacist prescribing pilot as an important step towards expanding the role of community pharmacists to increase access to primary health care for all Victorians.

Under the pharmacist prescribing pilot, appropriately trained community pharmacists will be able to reissue repeat prescriptions of oral contraceptives, treat minor skin conditions and provide antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Pharmacist immunisers participating in the pharmacist prescribing pilot will also be authorised to administer select travel vaccines following the completion of additional training.

“Pharmacists are highly skilled and qualified medicines experts, who already assess, diagnose and treat common conditions every day,” said Victorian Pharmacy Guild Branch President Anthony Tassone.

“The community pharmacist prescribing pilot will allow community pharmacists to use their clinical expertise to provide patients with timely and effective treatment for a selection of common health conditions.”

“Authorising pharmacists to treat uncomplicated UTIs, skin conditions and issue repeat oral contraceptive prescriptions is a practical step that will help relieve the burden on our overstretched health system and ensure patients have access to the routine healthcare services they need.”

“The inclusion of community pharmacist treatment of uncomplicated UTIs and re-issuing repeat prescriptions of the oral contraceptive pill in the pharmacist prescribing pilot, will in particular provide choice and increase access to care that women need and reduce hospital presentations,” he said.

Mr Tassone said the Victorian pharmacist prescribing pilot would follow a successful UTI pilot in Queensland, which has seen pharmacist treatment of UTIs become a permanent program, and a NSW UTI pharmacy prescribing trial, which began in May.

The amendments to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 that were today passed by the Victorian Parliament create the power to legally authorise pharmacists to supply certain prescription medicines to enable the 12-month pharmacist prescribing pilot.

This follows the 2023/24 Victorian State Budget allocation of $20 million to support the delivery of the Andrews Labor Government’s election commitment to a 12-month expanded scope of practice pilot for pharmacists.

To participate in the Victorian pharmacist prescribing pilot, community pharmacists would need to complete additional training and would be required to follow clear structured protocols and guidelines for prescribing the medicines.

The Victorian pharmacist prescribing pilot program is due to commence from October this year. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is among the expert advisory and clinical groups providing guidance to the Victorian Government on the design and implementation of the pharmacist prescribing pilot.

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