Pharmacies in New South Wales trialling skin care drugs for some conditions say it's been a successful experiment although not everyone in the medical field is sold on the idea. The state's government says almost 15-hundred people have benefited from the trial which has also relieved pressure on doctors.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00The trial, which has been used to treat dermatological conditions, including psoriasis, shingles,
00:07school sores, as well as mild to moderate eczema, are all considered to be conditions
00:12well within the scope of pharmacists to diagnose, as well as prescribe medications.
00:17Now, after almost six months, about 1,500 people have been treated under this trial,
00:23wherein which the government picks up the tab for the consultation a pharmacist would
00:27otherwise charge.
00:29Thereafter, people are required to pay for medicines as they see fit and require for
00:33their specific medical conditions.
00:36The Health Minister, Ryan Parks, says the trial so far has been successful and the government
00:40is seriously considering making it a permanent possibility for pharmacists to continue treating
00:46these conditions and prescribing.
00:49There are critical healthcare worker and healthcare professional shortages right now.
00:54That means that part of the work that we do and the reform that we need to undertake
00:59is making sure that our healthcare professionals, whether they're pharmacists, whether they're
01:03GPs, whether they're nurses or nurse practitioners, are working wherever possible at their full
01:08scope.
01:09At the heart of these ideas is relieving pressure on GPs in the medical system across the state.
01:15Now, GPs are typically funded by the federal government, so the state government can't
01:19do a lot to increase the number of GPs, but it is trying to relieve strain and stress
01:24on the system.
01:25However, there are some groups that represent GPs that believe these steps around diagnoses
01:30and prescription from pharmacists could be overreach.
01:34However, Chief Health Officer, Dr. Kerry Chant, says she's confident these conditions that
01:39they are treating, which include this trial period for dermatological conditions, but
01:43also has now seen urinary tract infections be able to be treated and antibiotics prescribed
01:49as well within pharmacists' scope.
01:51I acknowledge the important skills that pharmacists have, and what the trials have done is try
01:56to evaluate with whether this is reasonably within the scope of practice of pharmacists.
02:01We've taken a very thorough approach in New South Wales through a clinical trials framework,
02:07but we're also learning from information generated by other states and territories who have similarly
02:14rolled out this.
02:15And while some GPs have reservations, the government says in New South Wales it is considering
02:21bringing in other conditions that pharmacists could again diagnose and then prescribe medications for.
02:27However, that will be informed by results from this trial, which are expected later
02:31in the year, around March to April in the interim, and then further analysis thereafter.