Women in New South Wales will soon be able to access a resupply of the oral contraceptive pill from a certified pharmacist without a new prescription, following a successful trial.
From Saturday, women who have been taking the pill for two years can obtain a resupply without needing to return to their doctor for a new prescription.
Specially trained pharmacists will offer women 12 months’ supply of selected ‘low-risk’ contraceptive pills, which contain only small amounts of estrogen or only contain progestogen.
The new measure comes a year after the over-the-counter trial commenced when over 900 pharmacies across NSW gave pharmacists greater responsibilities in distributing the oral contraceptive pill, thereby easing the pressure off GPs, especially those in regional and rural areas.
When the scheme commenced last September, only women aged 18 – 35 could access the provision. From Saturday, women aged up to 49 will also be able to access the scheme.
According to NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, the state government has consulted with doctors and pharmacists to guarantee “specific and stringent” training was established.
“We do believe we can now make this ‘business as usual’ and continue to make it as convenient as possible for women,” Minister Park said.
Describing the new measure as a “huge success” NSW premier Chris Minns hopes that implementing the policy in perpetuity will lead to better outcomes.
“We know that people across NSW are doing it tough right now, even cutting back on essential healthcare because of affordability,” he said.
“At a time when seeing a GP can be difficult, we hope that this service will make it a little bit easier for women to access affordable healthcare, where and when they need it.”
Earlier this month, Minister Park announced that the government was considering increasing the capacity of pharmacists across NSW so that people can directly treatments for other conditions at their local pharmacy, including for ear infections, wound management, nausea, gastro, acne, muscle and joint pain, among others.
“We know that it is becoming more difficult to access a GP than ever before, with people often waiting days or even weeks before they can find an appointment,” Minister Park said at the time. “By empowering pharmacists to undertake consultations on more conditions, we can relieve the pressure on GPs and end the wait times. People should be able to access treatment as and when they need it, and the expansion of this important initiative will improve access to care.”
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) criticised the proposed plans, calling it “reckless” and citing potential health risks.
“[The expansion] puts politics before patient safety,” RACGP NSW Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman said.
“This is politically driven policy, and it has potentially devastating consequences for people across New South Wales due to the risks of incorrect treatment and serious illnesses being missed.”
“If you get a diagnosis wrong, the consequences can be devastating. There are significant risks of serious and even life-threatening illnesses being missed with the conditions the NSW Government wants to allow pharmacists to treat.”
“The NSW Government is kidding itself if it thinks this move will do anything to reduce pressure on the state’s overflowing hospitals. If anything, it will have the opposite effect.”
“We know from the UK that letting non-medically trained health professionals do the work of GPs results in much higher rates of incorrect treatment, delayed diagnosis and serious illnesses being missed. It costs governments and patients much more because people often need to go back to the doctor and can end up in hospital when they don’t get the right treatment.”
However, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia has welcomed the latest expansions, describing its practitioners as a “critical part of a holistic health system.”
“We are putting our hands up to do more, to take the pressure off GPs and, more importantly, to keep Australians out of emergency departments,” Guild President and Cairns-based pharmacist, Professor Trent Twomey said.
“Already highly qualified health professionals, pharmacists are upskilling to increase the scope of the services they deliver, including being able issue prescriptions and advice for minor ailments like earaches, skin conditions and UTIs and administering a range of vaccinations.”