Pharmacy Daily | Consult rooms for full scope 10 Mar 26

IF YOU want to get your pharmacy physically ready for full scope practice, there's one place you need to start - your consult room.

Your consult room determines which services you can deliver and how smoothly your team can work together while ensuring patient confidentiality.

If you want to work to full scope, you need a space set up for clinical care - not just quick chats and counselling.

Make sure the room itself works for you.

It needs a door that actually closes, enough space for two or more people to move around comfortably, and clear access for mobility aids.

These details might sound simple, but once you start running proper clinical appointments, you'll notice how important they are.

It then needs to be equipped as a clinical workspace.

You'll need an examination bed or reclinable chair, a sink or sanitising station, good lighting, and storage that keeps your equipment in arm's reach.

You also need a computer with your clinical information system, plus the essential equipment: blood pressure monitor, thermometer, pulse oximeter, blood glucose monitor, stethoscope, otoscope, scales, PPE, and sharps disposal.

Even the best-equipped room won't achieve much if your team doesn't have the right workflows.

Everyone needs to know how to book and triage patients, what happens with follow ups and referrals, and what to do when the door is closed and a consultation is in progress.

Your team also needs a clear plan for what to do if they need you while you're with a patient.

When these processes are clear, full scope feels far more natural and far less stressful.

People often think regulation is the main barrier to full scope practice - but it's not.

The biggest barrier is confidence.

And the only way to build confidence is to use your consult room regularly for real clinical care.

Not just occasionally; not just when things are quiet.

As you and your team use the space more, full scope stops feeling like a big step and becomes just part of everyday practice.

If you want to see what a full scope consultation room looks like in action, drop by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia's stand at APP2026.

We'll have a 'larger than life' consultation room set up, and our full scope implementation team will be there to talk through equipment, layout, workflows - whatever you need.

Prof Trent Twomey is president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

For questions about scope or implementation support, email scope@guild.org.au.