Pharmacy Daily | Guild plots national UTI program

PLANS to roll out pharmacist prescribing programs for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) nationwide are underway, Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Trent Twomey, says.

Speaking at Pharmacy Connect in Sydney on Fri, Twomey noted that the Queensland Government has given the green light for the UTI Pharmacy Pilot - Queensland (UTIPP-Q) to be embedded into permanent practice from 01 Oct.

"This should be a core service that Australians can receive from all community pharmacists across Australia," he said.

"The reason we went for UTIs in the Queensland Branch is because when we looked at the data, UTIs consistently nationwide are in the top 10 potentially preventable hospital presentations in every single State and Territory."

Twomey told delegates that the Guild has already commenced negotiations with all State and Territory governments to replicate the UTIPP-Q.

"We have a deliberate, methodical and thought-out government and public relations campaign to ensure that is embedded nationwide," he said.

Twomey also noted that there has been a shift in the Guild's relationships with governments at both State and Federal levels.

"We use to have to try to knock on doors politely, kick-down doors sometimes - not so politely - but now we have health ministers ringing us at all hours of the day, we have Chief Health Officers and Chief Medical Officers from not only the States and Territories, but the Federal Government ringing us on all days of the week asking if we can help them, if we could help increase the number of services provided through community pharmacies," he said.

"It's really changed the dynamic that the Guild has with governments at all levels, but it's also changed the view that Australians have of community pharmacy as well."

While Twomey said governments were keen to engage with pharmacy, he warned that the profession faces a "bumpy couple of years", and thing will "get worse before it gets better".