Five Canberra pharmacies will be able to provide treatment to women suffering from urinary tract infections as part of a year-long trial.
The ACT pharmacies are joining the NSW trial after securing an agreement with the state government.
Pharmacists will be able to prescribe antibiotics to people with uncomplicated urinary tract infections who are aged between 18 and 65 years, circumventing the need to visit a general practitioner to receive the prescription.
Pharmacy Guild ACT branch president Simon Blacker said about 2000 people a year present to emergency in the territory with a UTI.
"This initiative will help reduce pressure on the hospital system and make UTI treatments more accessible for Canberrans across the territory," he said.
"Community pharmacy is the most accessible health destination. This trial is an important step forward in providing patients with greater access to health services while broadening pharmacists' scope of practice."
The five pharmacies taking place in the trial are:
- Capital Chemist Charnwood
- Gold Creek Discount Drug Store
- The Pharmacy on Petrie
- Erindale Pharmacy, Erindale Shopping Centre
- PharmaSave Woden Pharmacy
Pharmacies will have to follow strict protocol and diagnostic criteria to prescribe antibiotics and will need to ensure patients understand they may need to seek further care.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the trial would help the government understand the role of pharmacist prescribing in the context of the health system.
"ACT Health will continue to engage with NSW Health, the trial researchers at the University of Newcastle and pharmacy and medical stakeholder bodies in the ACT throughout the trial," she said.
"They will also work closely with the pharmacy sector to ensure that they have the necessary training and resources to deliver these services safely and effectively."
But the move to allow pharmacies to prescribe treatments for UTIs has angered general practitioners. The Royal Australian College of GPs president Dr Nicole Higgins said, in May, it would compromise patient safety and wellbeing.
"Ask any GP and they will tell you - there is no such thing as an 'uncomplicated' UTI," she said.
"GPs and practice teams value the vital role that pharmacists perform, and we are right behind pharmacy and general practice working hand in glove.
"However, GPs complete over a decade of training and undertake years of supervised training to manage patients and treat conditions such as UTIs. Whilst pharmacists are expertly trained to perform their functions, they are not trained to make a diagnosis."
