Pharmacy Daily | Doctors demand evidence of scope safety

THE Royal Australian College GPs (RACGP) has called for "guardrails to protect patient safety", following a Western Australia Government announcement that a further 40 pharmacists will start prescriber training this month as part of the Enhanced Access Community Pharmacy Pilot (PD 08 Aug 2025), adding to the 50 already training.

RACGP WA chair Dr Ramya Raman said reforms must strike the right balance between improving access and ensuring quality patient care, and WA must demonstrate that the pilot is safe before expanding training to more pharmacists.

"We support innovation, but diagnosis, follow-up and continuity aren't optional extras," she said.

"These safeguards exist for a reason, to catch red flags, prevent misdiagnosis, ensure antibiotics are used appropriately, and to keep people well.

"Any model that bypasses these puts Western Australians at risk."

"Before WA scales this pilot, we need independent, published evidence showing that issues are being identified promptly, antibiotics are being prescribed appropriately, and results and clinical notes are reaching a patient's usual GP the same day," she said.

Meanwhile in South Australia, the RACGP has called on the state government to match the position laid out by Liberal health spokesperson Heidi Girolamo on the role of pharmacists and GPs in primary care.

When asked at a recent Australian Medical Association event if she supports the pharmacy scope of practice expansion, Girolamo said: "That is not a policy of ours, that is something we are working through and we've got a number of weeks leading up to the election, but our focus is on GPs."

RACGP SA Chair Dr Sian Goodson reiterated her WA counterpart's contentions about a lack of evidence supporting pharmacist prescribing trials, stating that a "lack of rigorous data raises real concerns about patient safety".

"When trials shift decision making into commercial environments, they risk putting business considerations ahead of patient needs, and that creates unacceptable conflicts of interest in healthcare," Dr Goodson said.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has vigorously rejected Girolamo's position, with national executive director Gerard Benedet calling her comments "shockingly misinformed and frankly backwards".

"The South Australian Liberals are not serious about increasing access to world-class health services if they reject community pharmacists working to their full scope of practice," Benedet said.

"I never thought I'd see a Shadow Health Minister willingly seek to remove women's access to the diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated UTIs.

"Also at risk is the management of minor wounds, addressing skin conditions such as impetigo, initiation of hormonal contraception and expanding immunisation coverage by specially trained community pharmacists.

"Pharmacists consistently go above and beyond for the people they serve - especially in South Australia," he concluded. KB