Pharmacist consultations for hormonal contraception can save women $23 million annually in out-of-pocket GP costs and reduce $3.6 million in healthcare spending on unintended pregnancies, the guild claims.
The RACGP is urging the federal government to judge the success of its national pharmacist-led prescribing trial by whether women receive the care they need, not by how many prescriptions are written.
The pushback comes as the pharmacy guild, in a media release issued Monday, again championed the cost savings pharmacist prescribing could deliver, ahead of the pharmacy and government finalising the trial’s details.
An independent analysis commissioned by the guild and prepared by healthcare consultancy HTANALYSTS, which The Medical Republic covered in June, valued pharmacist prescribing at a total annual benefit of $94.5 million.
It projected that reallocating contraceptive care would free up 730,000 GP consultations each year, saving the government $31.1 million in avoided GP appointments and supporting greater availability for more complex consultations.
The report estimated more than 213,000 unintended pregnancies nationwide in 2025, which it said underscored the need for timely access to effective contraception.
Through pharmacist prescribing, the report claimed improved access to timely initiation and continuation of effective contraception would prevent an estimated 194 unintended pregnancies annually, reducing abortion, miscarriage and birth-related costs.
It went further, claiming that fewer patients needing to attend in-person GP consultations would translate into “meaningful productivity gains” of $29.7 million annually.
Pharmacy guild president Professor Trent Tworney emphasised that, as primary care faced ongoing pressure, utilising all health professionals remained crucial.
“Community pharmacists are ideally placed to spend time discussing options, monitoring outcomes and supporting women to make informed decisions in consultation with their broader healthcare team,” he said.
He also claimed the government’s women’s health trial, set to commence in January next year, would “transform” access to and affordability of healthcare for women.
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In March, health minister Mark Butler announced female concession card holders would be able to access cheaper contraceptives and treatments for uncomplicated UTIs prescribed by qualified pharmacists.
Over the 12-month trial, an estimated 250,000 women with concession cards aged between 18 and 55 would be able to access contraceptives and UTI treatments at the government-subsidised rate of $7.70.
Mr Butler said the initiative would ensure access for women was affordable and equitable, without causing unnecessary costs or delays, and would form part of the government’s $792.2 million women’s health package.
Every state now allows trained pharmacists to supply antibiotics for uncomplicated UTIs, either through legislated schemes or ongoing trials.
While most states now allow pharmacists to initiate prescriptions for low-risk women, SA and the ACT remain the exceptions, allowing pharmacists to only write continuation prescriptions.
RACGP president Dr Michael Wright challenged the idea that a prescription was a meaningful marker of taxpayer value.
“We need to know what happens after the pharmacy visit,” he said.
“Did the treatment work? Did the woman need more care? Were important health issues picked up? And did the service connect her with the rest of her healthcare, or make that care more fragmented?”
It could also potentially undermine efforts to promote long-acting reversible contraceptives like the implant or IUD.
“Simplifying that complex consultation to just a script really underestimates its importance and undervalues the care women need, from having advice to the full range of options available,” Dr Wright told The Medical Republic.
The RACGP called for an independent evaluation of the trial, a comparison with women receiving usual GP care, and the use of existing health data to assess follow-up care and hospital presentations.
“If this model delivers better care, a strong and independent evaluation will show that. If it doesn’t, women, clinicians and taxpayers deserve to know before it is expanded,” Dr Wright said.
The college also pointed to the Grattan Institute’s call for national trials before expanding pharmacist services and a Sax Institute review commissioned by the RACGP, which found “significant gaps” in evidence on pharmacist prescribing outcomes.
“Women deserve care that is affordable, convenient and backed by evidence. We want to work with the Government to make sure this trial gives Australians answers they can trust,” the RACGP president said.
Dr Wright acknowledged more could be done to make practices welcoming to women seeking contraceptive advice and ensure cost wasn’t a barrier, but stressed patients would always receive confidentiality.
“I think that’s really where we need to target our priorities rather than creating alternative pathways that can be confusing for patients,” he told TMR.
