Pharmacy Daily | Pharmacists can support GPs

ALLOWING pharmacists to operate "to the full extent of their training and abilities" would help ease the growing pressure on general practitioners "facing a mental health epidemic," said the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland Branch yesterday.

Mental health and obesity are the two biggest concerns doctors have for the future, and where they want to see more government action, according to the latest snapshot of national trends for GPs released by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

Guild Queensland Branch president Professor Trent Twomey said the findings of the 'General Practice Health of the Nation 2018' report, showed psychological health concerns topped the list of GP treated healthcare conditions.

"This RACGP report shows GPs everywhere face an uphill battle in treating the number of patients who are seeking treatment for mental health issues," Twomey said.

"The quickest way to take pressure off the system and our GPs is by allowing community pharmacists to work to their full potential to treat minor conditions, administer vaccinations to children and continue to dispense medicines already prescribed, saving patients repeat visits to a doctor."

Twomey emphasised pharmacists are "highly trained health professionals who are trusted by the communities they serve," and also stressed the current ownership model relying on "personal trust", pharmacists being directly accountable and liable for the services they provide, especially in regional and rural areas.

In Queensland, more than 1,100 community pharmacies receive 70 million individual visits annually from patients and are the most accessed and the most accessible primary health facilities in the state.

Twomey argued Queensland pharmacists have a more restricted role than their counterparts in other states and comparable countries overseas.