AN ELECTION pledge by the Western Australia Liberal Party to authorise community pharmacists to prescribe selected medicines has been welcomed by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia WA Branch.
Based on the existing Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot, the state opposition says it will allow 680 community pharmacists operating through the state network to prescribe medicine for 23 select conditions.
Like Queensland, the move is aimed at taking pressure off an already constrained GP network.
According to the Guild, community pharmacy is the state's most accessible primary healthcare destination and is used by more than one million Western Australians each week.
"To engage and utilise this existing network to expand healthcare services is not only a commonsense decision but also an economically responsible one," the Guild said.
"Amidst Western Australia's ongoing GP shortage and limited bulk-billing options, this approach would help mitigate rising healthcare costs for patients."
MEANWHILE, Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has called on whichever side of politics is successful in the election to invest in the hospital pharmacy workforce.
Two key election priorities outlined by the group include a push for $67.7 million in funding to ensure a strong pipeline of skilled pharmacists to meet the increasing health need of Western Australians.
"The proposed investment will mean roughly 130 additional positions covering pharmacy interns, early-career pharmacists, pharmacist registrars and clinical educators are created to support patient care and ensure long-term sustainability of the WA pharmacy workforce," said AdPha President Tom Simpson (pictured).
"Hospital pharmacy departments are feeling the strain, high staff turnover and retention challenges."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Feb 25
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 13 Feb 25
