The Pharmacy Guild’s latest push for full scope has involved setting up a full-scale pharmacist consult room at Parliament House.
Federal parliamentarians were treated to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s vision for the future of women’s healthcare this week, with the powerful lobby group erecting a consult room (complete with prescribing pharmacist) in the halls of power.
According to the guild, its full-scale model pharmacist consultation room featured “examination essentials” like a treatment bed, blood pressure monitor and “basic diagnostic kits”.
Three prescribing pharmacists were flown in from Queensland “demonstrated how direct access to contraception, urinary tract infection … treatment and everyday health consultations [at pharmacies are] already making life-changing differences”.
According to a guild-issued press release, the Canberra event was intended engage policymakers in a conversation about a future where pharmacists are “central” to a more accessible healthcare system.
“This is about showing what’s possible when pharmacists are empowered to work to their full potential,” president Professor Trent Twomey said.
“With almost 6,000 community pharmacies across Australia, and more than 300 towns where the only primary healthcare provider is a community pharmacy, we are uniquely positioned to provide accessible, high-quality healthcare to women in every corner of the country.”
In February, health minister Mark Butler announced a $573.3 million funding package for women’s health.
Around $100m of that money was earmarked for two national trials to subsidise pharmacist-led prescribing for UTIs and oral contraceptive pills.
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Earlier this month, the guild put out a new 10-year plan which included an aspirational goal of having 80% of pharmacists prescribing by 2035.
The “showcase” event was held in partnership with Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia, the peak body for various state-based family planning agencies.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Australia CEO Daile Kelleher said there needed to be “no wrong door” for women accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare.
“Raising awareness about the services available and working with government to shape future policy is absolutely crucial,” she said.
It’s unclear how many pharmacies in Australia currently have dedicated consult rooms.
While the guild has published a resource with guidance on setting up a pharmacy consult room, there are not necessarily many hard-and-fast rules about what specific equipment must be on hand.
