Pharmacists ready to help Australians as GP wait times blow out

Pharmacists are encouraging Australians to think “Pharmacy first” after a recent study claimed that one in ten Australians have to wait up to three weeks to see their General Practitioner.

Latest research from Insightfully has found that 40 per cent of Australians are waiting too long to see their GP and the situation is worse for regional areas, with one in five waiting more than three weeks.

Currently, there are not enough GPs to meet the health needs of Australians, with the national problem forecast to record a shortfall of 1900 GPs across the country by 2028.

However, Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, Professor Trent Twomey believes pharmacists can relieve this pressure as many of his members are upskilling to meet the health needs of the community.

“Already highly qualified health professionals, pharmacists are upskilling to increase the scope of the services they deliver, including being able to issue prescriptions and advice for minor ailments like earaches, skin conditions and UTIs and administering a range of vaccinations,” said Professor Twomey.

“Pharmacists are a critical part of a holistic health system. We are putting our hands up to do more, to take the pressure off GPs and, more importantly, to keep Australians out of emergency departments.

“With pharmacy playing a more versatile role in the health care system, Australians with more serious conditions can be seen by their GP faster, when they need it most.”

This comes as the New South Wales state government recently announced their plan to expand pharmacists’ scope of practice and reduce GP wait times in the state.

Under proposed changes that could come into force in NSW in 2026, ailments such as ear infections, nausea, minor wounds, vomiting, and mild acute musculoskeletal pain could all be addressed by a local chemist.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the plan aimed to alleviate pressure on GPs, given people were “often waiting days or even weeks before they can find an appointment”.

“By empowering pharmacists to undertake consultations on more conditions, we can relieve the pressure on GPs and end the wait times,” he said in a statement.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia NSW branch president David Heffernan supported the proposals, stating that the change would mean patients were not forced to go to hospital “for a simple ear infection, just because their GP can’t see them”.

While both Ryan and Heffernan support the proposal, RACGP NSW Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman slammed the move, claiming it increased the risk of misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment being administered to patients.

“This is politically driven policy, and it has potentially devastating consequences for people across New South Wales, due to the risks of incorrect treatment and serious illnesses being missed,” she said.

“What Health Minister Ryan Park clearly doesn’t understand is patients come in with symptoms, not a diagnosis. Diagnosis is complex and requires years of training – GPs train for over 10 years. You can’t squeeze this training into a short course for pharmacists and expect good health outcomes.

“If you get a diagnosis wrong, the consequences can be devastating. There are significant risks of serious and even life-threatening illnesses being missed with the conditions the NSW Government wants to allow pharmacists to treat.”