Eighty-two per cent of Australians support* community pharmacists providing health advice for common, non-complex conditions such as UTI, earache and nausea and for services, such as the prescribing of hormonal contraceptives. or signup to continue reading The finding is no doubt influenced by the successful . The mobilisation of pharmacists to vaccinate and protect millions of people at the height of the pandemic, is a powerful proof point of the capability and unrealised capacity of the sector: of pharmacy's potential to .
The same survey, also found two in five people were waiting an unacceptable length of time to see a doctor. The situation is much worse in regional Australia - at 47 per cent. Alarmingly, 21 per cent of respondents reported presenting at emergency due to an inability to access a GP.
The good news is, state and territory governments have heard community pharmacist's plea to be able to do more for patients: to free up GP appointments for Australians with more serious conditions and critically, to keep people out of emergency department waiting rooms. Queensland, NSW, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and recently, the ACT have all announced programs empowering pharmacists to offer more health services. Queensland leads the nation, right now offering treatments for 23 ailments including school sores, asthma and wound management.
Across the country, my community pharmacist colleagues, already highly qualified health professionals, are upskilling to d.