The 12-month trial enabled pharmacists to treat minor skin conditions including impetigo (school sores), shingles, mild to moderate eczema and mild plaque psoriasis.
The Premier of NSW, the Hon Chris Minns, said the trial was an important part of work being undertaken to build a fairer system, removing red tape and making it much simpler to access medications.
“These changes save people time, and it might mean the difference between seeking treatment or not,” Premier Minns said.
“By enabling pharmacists to help manage common conditions, we are increasing access to care and relieving pressure on our GPs and the public hospital system.”
The trial tracked more than 3,200 patient consultations across 470 NSW pharmacies.
By making these services permanent, we’re ensuring that patients, especially in rural and regional areas, can access timely, expert care from their local pharmacists.
More than one third of the pharmacies taking part in the trial are in regional or rural NSW, accounting for more than 40 percent of skin consultations undertaken in the 12-month period.
“By enabling pharmacists to help manage common conditions, we are increasing access to care and relieving pressure on our GPs and the public hospital system,” Premier Minns said.
The Australasian College of Pharmacy said with the role of pharmacists continuing to grow, their new course on skin conditions would help pharmacists in NSW to upskill and expand their scope of practice.
By enabling pharmacists to help manage common conditions, we are increasing access to care and relieving pressure on our GPs and the public hospital system.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s (PGA) National President Professor Trent Twomey said the reforms were a good next step.
“By making these services permanent, we’re ensuring that patients, especially in rural and regional areas, can access timely, expert care from their local pharmacists,” PGA’s Professor Twomey said.
“We look forward to consistency with other (Australian) jurisdictions, such as QLD, NT, Tas, and WA.”
If you are a pharmacist seeking more information on the ACP’s course, please visit https://www.acp.edu.au/education/short-courses/skin-conditions/nsw/
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