QUEENSLAND Pharmacy Guild branch president Trent Twomey has urged a widening of the scope of practice for pharmacists, in light of recent reports of increasing numbers of people presenting at emergency rooms for assistance with minor ailments.
He said the worrying trend highlighted "that consumers are disinclined to see a GP for minor ailments due to excessive costs and long waiting times.
"There has always been strong support for pharmacists to be the first port of call for minor ailments - it's based on the trust in which pharmacists are held, and on their professional and ethical standards," Twomey said.
He said expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists, currently under consideration by a Qld parliamentary inquiry (PD 23 May), would deliver significant gains for the state's health system.
Suggested expansion would include wider delivery of dose administration aids, delivering a structured system of medicine reconciliation after hospital discharge, continued dispensing for stable long-term conditions, and supporting home delivery services.
"We know this would also substantially reduce costs on the public health system and improve access to health care, especially in regional and remote parts of Queensland," Twomey added.
The Qld branch president also reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Pharmacy Council "to ensure the current system of pharmacy ownership was even more transparent and protected standards of health care".
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