NSW ‘saving’ GP appointments … by sending patients to pharmacy

3 minute read


As the psychiatry crisis rolls on, the NSW Health Minister says the state is “playing its part” to relieve pressure on GPs and hospitals.


The NSW government appears to be chuffed with the way its pharmacist-led dermatology prescribing trial is heading, with Minister for Health Ryan Park claiming that more than 1400 patients have been seen in its first six months.

It comes as the state’s public health system braces for a mass resignation of psychiatrists amid an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

NSW has rolled out its pharmacist-led prescribing trial over several waves.

Initially, pharmacists were only allowed to diagnose and prescribe for urinary tract infections in women; this trial was made permanent in June 2024.

Then, they were allowed to offer resupplies of the oral contraceptive pill; this trial was made permanent in September 2024.

The third trial started in mid-2024 and allowed pharmacists to diagnose and prescribe for “common minor skin conditions”, including shingles, impetigo, mild to moderate eczema and acute mild plaque psoriasis.

“Imagine, instead of struggling to find a GP appointment to receive a script for a minor skin condition, you could just pop down to your local pharmacy, and receive the care you need, when you need it,” Mr Park said today.

“We’re providing thousands of people with the option of conveniently obtaining a prescription this way, relieving pressure on our GPs and saving GP appointments for people who need them the most.”

He made no mention of the fact that a group of ophthalmologists had identified an error in the trial’s clinical guidelines on shingles in the months after the dermatology prescribing trial had begun.

The dermatology arm of the pharmacy trial is set to end in February.

It has not been made permanent at this stage, but RACGP NSW and ACT chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman told The Medical Republic that the college anticipated that it would be.

“All GPs across New South Wales and the ACT have ongoing concerns for this expanded pharmacy [scope] … because prescribing, and more so diagnosing, is a really difficult skill,” she said.

“GPs spend upwards of 10 years learning how to do this safely and being told that you can do it after some online modules or a year-long TAFE-equivalent course is really quite concerning for our wider population.”

While the trial protocol made it mandatory for pharmacists to correspond with patients’ GPs, Dr Hoffman said it was her understanding that this has not happened for all patients.

Mr Park’s press release stated that, although the supply and accessibility of GPs was a responsibility for the Commonwealth, the NSW government was “playing its part by embracing new and innovative initiatives to create pathways outside the hospital”.

Psychiatrists working for the state’s public system are asking for a 25% pay increase to bring their remuneration in line with other states and territories.

NSW Health has been reluctant to meet that demand.

Outside of “empowering pharmacists” to prescribe, NSW Health said it was delivering on out-of-hospital care by opening more urgent care clinics and virtual care services, as well as “saving bulk billing in NSW by providing payroll tax relief”.

Late last year, Mr Park also confirmed that plans were underway to expand pharmacist scope of practice to include several acute conditions and to launch a pilot in regional NSW allowing pharmacists to treat chronic conditions like asthma.

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