Pharmacy Daily | Access all areas

Recently the Grattan Institute released an important report outlining an array of opportunities to deliver better primary health care services in rural Australia. Titled ‘Access all areas: new solutions for GP shortages in rural Australia’, the report made clear that “the first step is to make much better use of pharmacists’ skills”. It rightly points out that the role of pharmacists in Australia is far more limited than in many other countries. Focussing on seven rural Medicare Local areas with the worst GP shortages, the report advocated a significantly enhanced role for pharmacists to address primary health care deficiencies. It recommends that, with the agreement of GPs and patients, pharmacists should be able to provide repeat prescriptions to people with simple, stable conditions. It also recommends that pharmacists should be able to provide vaccinations and work with GPs to help patients manage chronic health conditions. The reports make clear that these enhancements are readily achievable. The Guild considers this report to be an important breakthrough in terms of recognising the ability of pharmacies to play an enhanced primary health care role in local communities.

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