PHARMACIST PRESCRIBING COULD SAVE HEALTH SYSTEM $1 BILLION, REPORT FINDS

Expanding prescribing powers for pharmacists could save Australia's health system more than $1 billion a year, free up millions of GP appointments and help prevent thousands of hospitalisations, according to new modelling released by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

The report, Rewriting the Script, examined the potential impact of pharmacist prescribing amid forecasts that GP workforce shortages will worsen across the country.

According to the modelling, pharmacist prescribing could generate $1 billion in annual health system savings, free up more than 10 million GP appointments and prevent 30,000 hospitalisations each year.

National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Professor Trent Twomey, said the findings highlighted the role community pharmacies could play in improving access to healthcare.

“This modelling shows that empowering specially trained pharmacists to prescribe for appropriate conditions isn’t just good for patients – it’s good for the entire health system. It improves access, reduces wait times and delivers more than a billion dollars in annual savings,” Professor Twomey said.

The report also estimated that pharmacist autonomous prescribing across four conditions could create a broader economic impact worth $21 billion.

HTANALYSTS principal of strategy and social impact Irene Deltetto said the benefits extended beyond financial savings.

“Behind every dollar in this analysis is a patient who waited too long to see a GP, or a hospitalisation that could have been avoided,” Ms Deltetto said.

“What's needed now is the regulatory and funding architecture to make this model permanent and nationally consistent.”

The report recommends nationally consistent prescribing powers, sustainable funding arrangements and connected digital health systems to support pharmacist prescribing services. The Guild is calling on the Federal Government to implement those recommendations.

Professor Twomey said pharmacists were already playing a critical role in frontline healthcare.

“Community pharmacy is Australia’s most accessible frontline healthcare destination. People visit their pharmacist every three weeks on average, and each of those visits is an opportunity to do more to create healthier communities,” he said.

There are more than 6,000 community pharmacies across Australia, with many operating extended hours and weekends. In more than 300 towns, a community pharmacy is the only frontline health service available.