A review is underway to identify opportunities to expand the offerings of pharmacies in Tasmania.
The Rockliff Liberal Government has announced that KPMG has been appointed to conduct a Review of pharmacists’ scope of practice in Tasmania.
The Review will look at how pharmacies can provide expanded healthcare services to Tasmania.
The Government has committed to working with pharmacy and medical representative groups to improve Tasmanians’ access to safe and effective care, with a particular focus on supporting the state’s general practitioners via changes to services pharmacies offer.
The Review will include a comprehensive and evidence-informed assessment of the scope of practice for pharmacists in Tasmania and will provide advice and recommendations to the Tasmanian Government.
The first Reference Group meeting – which consisted of representatives from the pharmacy and key medical stakeholders - was held on Wednesday.
Premier and Minister for Health, Jeremy Rockliff acknowledged the opportunity to build on the services that pharmacists can provide to the community, to better deliver health services and ease pressure on general practitioners and our hospitals.
“We expect the outcomes of the review will position Tasmania to lead the nation on maximising pharmacists’ ability to use their skills and knowledge to support the Tasmanian health system and improve Tasmanians’ ability to equitably access safe and effective care,’’ Premier Rockliff said.
Additionally, early in the New Year, we will move to expand the offering of Tasmanian pharmacists to make a one-off supply of most prescription-only medicines for the treatment of ongoing conditions for patients who have not been able to see their doctor.
“We see this as an efficient way to provide real support to Tasmanians struggling to see their GPs in a timely manner and worried about accessing their long-term medications,” Premier Rockliff said.
Changes will also be made to allow Tasmanian pharmacists to administer a much wider range of vaccines, including common travel vaccines and vaccines used for the prevention of shingles. This is expected to improve the convenience and timeliness of many vaccines.