Hazzard backs UTI trial in NSW
October 5, 2022
NSW could be the next jurisdiction to authorise pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), with State Health Minister, Brad Hazzard, asking NSW Health to explore a trial.
The move comes after the Pharmacy Guild of Australia urged State and Territory Governments to follow Queensland's lead in making diagnosing and prescribing for UTIs a permanent part of pharmacists' scope of practice (PD 04 Oct).
Hazzard told Nine Entertainment that pharmacists haven proven they can play a greater role in the provision of primary healthcare services.
"There's a very clear message from COVID that is that pharmacists have been able to step up where needed to fill gaps," he said.
"There are parts of the State where it is extremely tough to get in to see a GP and there are some conditions, like UTIs, that I think lend themselves to the possibility of pharmacists having an expanded scope of practice."
An economic analysis of the expected financial benefits of pharmacists in NSW being able to treat UTI, presented at the Guild's Pharmacy Industry Roadshow last month, estimated that it would generate savings of $297.2 million over a 10-year period.
The Guild has forecast the authorising pharmacists to diagnose and prescribe treatments for UTI in NSW would reduce healthcare costs for the State Government by $12.1 million annually, while saving the Federal Government $9.4 million, in addition to $8.4 million in productivity gains.
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