The aim of the pilot is to increase access to high-quality healthcare services for Queenslanders by enabling community pharmacists to offer a broader range of services.
Find out more about the services offered.
Frequently asked questions
Pharmacists are trusted members of our healthcare teams, helping us when our families need healthcare advice and support. The Productivity Commission identified that using pharmacists, and other health professionals, to their full scope of practice is an effective strategy to improve access to healthcare services and lessen the impacts of workforce shortages, particularly in regional and rural communities.
This is one of many initiatives being progressed by Queensland Health to address the challenge of workforce shortages and improve access to holistic primary health care for Queensland communities.
North Queensland is experiencing workforce shortages in the primary care sector. At the time of the Inquiry into the provision of primary, allied and private health care, aged care and NDIS care services and its impact on the Queensland public health system, there were 97 vacancies for general practitioners in North Queensland. Because of these challenges and the Queensland Government’s commitment to achieving health equity and optimising health outcomes for rural and remote Queenslanders, North Queensland was chosen as the initial location for the pilot.
On 25 September 2023, the Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services and Minister for Women announced the expansion of the pilot to the entire state to improve health care access for all Queenslanders, regardless of where they live.
The pilot will enable participating community pharmacists to treat and prescribe medicines for a range of health conditions including nausea and vomiting, reflux, hay fever and ear infections.
The pilot will also mean pharmacists can provide health and wellbeing services including hormonal contraception, oral health screening, weight management and support for consumers to quit smoking.
Pharmacists will also be able to provide structured chronic disease management programs for cardiovascular disease risk reduction, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including prescribing required medications.
Find out more about services provided in the pilot.
To be eligible to participate in the pilot, community pharmacists must be located in Queensland and must meet a range of participation requirements. This includes having an appropriate consultation space to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
An online Pilot Pharmacy look-up directory is available to help consumers find their local participating pharmacy.
Pharmacists are highly qualified health professionals. Most pharmacists in Australia have successfully completed a 4-year university degree, followed by a 1-year supervised internship. Once registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia, pharmacists commit to ongoing professional development each year, ensuing they maintain current knowledge and skills.
Participating pharmacists have completed additional training to ensure they are able to safely manage the conditions included. This includes completion of prescribing training and clinical practice training, delivered by qualified education providers.
Find out more about requirements for pharmacists.
Consumers are responsible for covering the cost of the consultation, as well as any tests, treatments or medications provided as part of the pilot.
Keep in mind:
- These services are not eligible for a rebate under Medicare or private health insurance.
- Medications are not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
- Concession card and healthcare care holders will not receive a discount for any service or medication received.
The total cost of treatment will be different for each service, depending on the length of the consultation, the cost of the medicine and/or other treatment, and whether pathology tests are required.
Pharmacists will discuss the cost of the service with consumers before starting the consultation.
Find out more about costs for patients.
The pilot offers Queenslanders more choice about where and how they access health care. In addition to their usual healthcare providers, consumers will have the option of consulting their local participating pharmacist for help with managing conditions included in the pilot. This means quicker access to primary care services, closer to home.
Participation in the pilot is voluntary, and consumers will be asked for their consent before receiving care.
Pharmacists already make treatment recommendations and provide consumers with Schedule 2 and 3 (pharmacist only) medicines within the community pharmacy setting.
Pharmacists will be required to gain informed clinical and financial consent from consumers before they provide pilot services. This will include discussing consultation fees, as well as the cost of any blood tests, investigations, consumables and medicines that may be required.
Pharmacists will also be required to advise consumers where they may be able to obtain the service, medicines or vaccinations for a subsidised price, such as by consulting their general practitioner.
As with all health professionals, pharmacists have an obligation to follow the professional standards and guidelines set out by their professional board, the Pharmacy Board of Australia, and the guidelines of other professional bodies.
The Queensland Government acknowledges the complexities of providing healthcare in Queensland, including the challenges presented by vast geography and remoteness, and the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals.
Community pharmacists in Queensland understand the communities in which they live and work and provide person-centred primary healthcare.
Only community pharmacies accredited by the Quality Care Pharmacy Program against the Quality Care Pharmacy Standard will be eligible to participate in the pilot. To be accredited, pharmacies are assessed against five domains of quality, including consumer-centred care and cultural safety.
The shared AHPRA Code of Conduct applies to pharmacists and requires health practitioners to consider the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their health and cultural safety, as well as respectful and culturally safe practice for all.
Cultural safety and the consideration of the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been considered in the development of the pilot and participating pharmacist have completed a foundation course for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Find out more about requirements for pharmacists.
The Department of Health has engaged an independent external provider to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot. The evaluation will be aligned to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare dimensions of system performance: accessibility (including affordability), continuity of care, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, appropriateness and safety.
Throughout the pilot, feedback from consumers is important to help improve future services in Queensland. Feedback can be provided via the online form.
The pharmacy profession has undergone significant changes over recent decades. While this pilot is a first for Australia, internationally, pharmacists have been providing a wider range of services in comparable countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand for a number of years. In these countries, some of these services are part of usual practice for community pharmacies.
Pharmacists undertake additional training before they provide care as part of the pilot, to ensure they can safely manage the conditions included. This includes completion of prescribing training, additional clinical training and a period of supervised practice.
Find out more about the requirements for pharmacists.