Expanded role for pharmacists in healthcare black spots to bridge GP gap

Australia Broadcast Center

6 days ago

For the 600 residents of Milawa, a small town in north-eastern Victoria, there is no hospital, no local GP and no public transport, but there is a pharmacy.
Sherwin Kashani has been the owner for more than a decade.
"People come in to me needing all sorts of things," he said.
"That's when I have to go beyond what I would normally be expected to do as a pharmacist."
Mr Kashani said his pharmacy served a wide region, often making him the only easily accessible health professional for nearby towns, especially with his seven-day service.
"Then southwards, there are no doctors at all between here and Mansfield, which is about 100km [away].
"Elderly people may not be able to drive that far and there is no public transport."
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data, people living in regional and remote areas are more likely to delay or not see a GP when needed than those living in major cities.
And they are 6.6 per cent more likely to visit a hospital emergency department.
In October 2023, the Victorian government launched the Community Pharmacist Program (CPP) pilot, allowing participating pharmacists to treat conditions such as shingles, resupply certain contraceptive pills, and deliver a range of vaccinations, without a doctor's visit.
According to a report by the Department of Health, during the 12-month pilot pharmacists provided more than 23,000 services and no serious safety concerns were reported.
This year's Victorian budget confirmed the program would become permanent from July 1, with $40 million in funding.
But not everyone is on board, with some medical professionals arguing pharmacists are not trained to diagnose complex conditions.
Still, by 2026, pharmacists in Victoria will be able to offer 22 different health and wellbeing services.
Of the more than 830 participating pharmacies, about 27 per cent are in rural or regional areas.
"Local pharmacies play a valuable role in our health system, especially in regional Victoria," a Victorian Department of Health spokesperson said.
One of the services planned to be added to the CPP is oral care, a healthcare gap that has recently been illuminated by a La Trobe University study.
Researchers interviewed 11 rural pharmacists and found they were offering oral health advice up to three times a week on topics such as brushing habits, fluoridated toothpaste and dietary changes.
Data from the 2021 National Pharmacy Survey showed while Australians visited community pharmacists 18 times a year on average, fewer than half had seen a dentist in the past 12 months.
"In regions where dentists are absent, pharmacists are often the first and only line of health care," said professor Joseph Tucci, pharmacy discipline lead at La Trobe University's Rural Health School.
Clunes pharmacist Kellie Saunders, who participated in the La Trobe study, said the CPP and its planned expansion to include oral care was "welcome news".
"[The program] also recognises the trust communities place in pharmacists and ensures we can continue to serve our communities in a timely manner, helping also to ease the burden on our broader healthcare system."
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victorian chair Anita Muñoz said she was critical of the program's expansion and suggested it could cause problems rather than solve them.
"At best it ticks a box and allows for the announcement of some kind of solution," Dr Muñoz said.
"At worst and in the long term, it's likely to cause more problems than it solves.
"People want and need to be able to see a GP."
Dr Muñoz said the only solution was making sure there were enough GPs in regional communities.
"Studies show patients who see the same GP are healthier, live longer, and are more satisfied with their care," she said.
The federal Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the government would invest $662.6 million over four years from 2025–26 to grow the primary care workforce and deliver more Australian-trained doctors, including rural generalists.
A Department of Health, Disability and Ageing spokesperson said pharmacists played an important role in Australia's healthcare system.
"Pharmacists play a key role in the community in providing accessible health services to Australians, particularly those in regional, rural and remote areas," the spokesperson said.
"The Australian government is progressing work to ensure all health professionals, including pharmacists, can work to their full scope of practice.
"This is particularly relevant in rural areas where workforce shortages may be more acute."