ACT pharmacists to be trained so they can treat women with urinary infections

From July, some ACT pharmacists will be able to treat women with urinary tract infections.

But the move has been greeted with dismay by the main bodies representing doctors.

"This is a very politically-driven reform which is totally uninformed by doctors," the head of the Royal Australian College of GPs in the ACT and NSW said.

Professor Charlotte Hespe said she urged the ACT government not to proceed but her advice was rejected.

The expansion of the role of pharmacists comes because the ACT has decided to join a pilot scheme in NSW.

Prof Hespe said she told ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith that delay in order to assess the NSW test results was preferable.

Prof Hespe fears pharmacists will over-prescribe antibiotics when other treatments might be better for the patient, treatments which would not increase the person's dependence on antibiotics.

The ACT health authority said women would be given antibiotics for three days and if the UTI persisted be urged to go to a GP.

Prof Hespe also questioned whether pharmacists had the right skills.

"Making the decision about whether it's a simple UTI (or a more complicated one) requires clinical appraisal skills and that's why we have 12 years of training," she said.

As well as the GPs' association, the Australian Medical Association was also annoyed by the ACT's decision to give pharmacists more powers of treatment.

"It is time for us to say, 'No. No more'," the president of the AMA in the ACT said.

Prof Walter Abhayaratna fears the change is another "quick fix" which will increase the "fragmentation" of the health service, so different parts don't communicate easily with each other.

He said doctors and pharmacists had different skills: "The value of the pharmacist is to be the expert with medication, making sure the mediation doesn't cause harm, making sure it is appropriate."

Pharmacists, on the other hand, said the scheme would be operated carefully and would improve care. Pharmacies were convenient and often open seven days a week.

The president of the Pharmacy Guild's ACT branch said "protocols" were yet to be worked out but pharmacy treatment for UTIs would be for "uncomplicated" infections.

Women who appeared in a pharmacy would be assessed for how complicated the infection was. They would be asked their age and symptoms.

Simon Blacker said pharmacies did have private rooms but he didn't envisage physical examination of women. Many would be told to go to their GP.

The ACT trial starts in July after the NSW trial begins April 1. Results will be evaluated at the University of Newcastle.

Mr Blacker imagined a future of "collaboration" between pharmacists and GPs.

"It's not about replacing GPs. It's about easing pressure on the health system and providing greater accessibility to treatment," he said.

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ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said when the announcement was made that pharmacies "provide a safe, accessible and valued option for Canberrans".

Apart from allowing pharmacists a bigger role in treatment, they will be allowed to administer a greater range of vaccines without prescription.

From the middle of the month, Canberra pharmacists will be able to inject against flu, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, COVID and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).

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