❓ The Minister for Health outlines initiatives utilising pharmacies to improve women's access to primary care, including UTI treatment and oral contraceptive resupply, aiming to reduce demand on the primary healthcare system.
AnsweredQoN 363Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HEALTHCARE SERVICES —
PHARMACIES
363. Ms R.S. STEPHENS to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
efforts to improve access to healthcare services for Western Australians.
(1) Can the minister
outline to the house how this government is utilising pharmacies to support WA
women to access primary care faster and cheaper?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how this
initiative is reducing demand on WA's primary healthcare system?
PHARMACIES
363. Ms R.S. STEPHENS to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
efforts to improve access to healthcare services for Western Australians.
(1) Can the minister
outline to the house how this government is utilising pharmacies to support WA
women to access primary care faster and cheaper?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how this
initiative is reducing demand on WA's primary healthcare system?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Albany for her question. As we all know, both in
metropolitan and regional areas, cost-of-living pressures are having an impact
on WA households. Although the Cook Labor government continues to do everything
that we can in all the areas available to us to assist families, like providing
the $400 electricity credit, implementing the two-zone fare cap on public
transport, the student assistance payments of $150 for primary students and
$250 for secondary students, and keeping household fees and charges low, we
know that health care and access to health care is an impost on the household
budget. We also know that bulk billing rates of GPs are at record lows. We
welcome the commonwealth's commitment to increasing access to primary
care through the implementation of the Medicare urgent care clinics in Morley,
Rockingham, Clarkson, Yangebup, Midland, Eaton in Bunbury and Broome, and a new
clinic has been announced in Armadale, much to the member for Armadale's
delight. That was announced by the federal Assistant Minister for Health and
Aged Care, Ged Kearney, last month.
As a government, we have to provide
as much care in the community as we can and provide access to care in the
community to keep people well and out of hospital. The sustainable health
review was a key plank into doing that, with a final report including eight
enduring strategies and 30 recommendations. One important recommendation is to
support access to primary care in the community by improving pharmacists'
scope of practice and providing access to care by pharmacists. Last year, we
rolled out our pharmacy UTI program, which allows women aged 16 to 65 years
with uncomplicated urinary tract infections
to visit their pharmacy, be assessed by a trained pharmacist and, where
appropriate, be prescribed antibiotics to treat that UTI. Over 5 000
women with uncomplicated UTIs have been treated directly by their pharmacy since the program began less than a
year ago, which is a huge success. Over 400 pharmacies in WA are now
providing that service.
In an effort to expand access to
primary care particularly for women, we recently announced that we would also
be expanding access to the oral contraceptive pill through pharmacists. Last
month, the Premier and I joined the member for Belmont to announce the
expansion of that program to include the oral contraceptive pill. We know that
in some areas, particularly regional areas, access to GPs can be very hard and
at times expensive. It will be incredibly convenient for women to be able to
get a resupply of the pill from their local pharmacy. It will save GP time and
will save money for women who have to pay for a GP appointment and then go and
pay for the prescription. It will genuinely give women an alternative option out
of hours. We know that pharmacists often operate longer hours than general
practitioners.
Pharmacists will be required to
complete additional training before they can issue a resupply of the pill for a period of up to 12 months. After 12 months,
women will have to go back to their GP for a new script. Women can see
which pharmacists are doing this through the online portal ''Find a Pharmacy''.
This is part of Labor's building better access to health care,
particularly in women's health, through a range of reforms, including
abortion reform, providing free period products in public schools, building the
new women's and babies' hospital and providing better access to
primary care through pharmacies. We will continue to support women in Western Australia
through better access to health care.
thank the member for Albany for her question. As we all know, both in
metropolitan and regional areas, cost-of-living pressures are having an impact
on WA households. Although the Cook Labor government continues to do everything
that we can in all the areas available to us to assist families, like providing
the $400 electricity credit, implementing the two-zone fare cap on public
transport, the student assistance payments of $150 for primary students and
$250 for secondary students, and keeping household fees and charges low, we
know that health care and access to health care is an impost on the household
budget. We also know that bulk billing rates of GPs are at record lows. We
welcome the commonwealth's commitment to increasing access to primary
care through the implementation of the Medicare urgent care clinics in Morley,
Rockingham, Clarkson, Yangebup, Midland, Eaton in Bunbury and Broome, and a new
clinic has been announced in Armadale, much to the member for Armadale's
delight. That was announced by the federal Assistant Minister for Health and
Aged Care, Ged Kearney, last month.
As a government, we have to provide
as much care in the community as we can and provide access to care in the
community to keep people well and out of hospital. The sustainable health
review was a key plank into doing that, with a final report including eight
enduring strategies and 30 recommendations. One important recommendation is to
support access to primary care in the community by improving pharmacists'
scope of practice and providing access to care by pharmacists. Last year, we
rolled out our pharmacy UTI program, which allows women aged 16 to 65 years
with uncomplicated urinary tract infections
to visit their pharmacy, be assessed by a trained pharmacist and, where
appropriate, be prescribed antibiotics to treat that UTI. Over 5 000
women with uncomplicated UTIs have been treated directly by their pharmacy since the program began less than a
year ago, which is a huge success. Over 400 pharmacies in WA are now
providing that service.
In an effort to expand access to
primary care particularly for women, we recently announced that we would also
be expanding access to the oral contraceptive pill through pharmacists. Last
month, the Premier and I joined the member for Belmont to announce the
expansion of that program to include the oral contraceptive pill. We know that
in some areas, particularly regional areas, access to GPs can be very hard and
at times expensive. It will be incredibly convenient for women to be able to
get a resupply of the pill from their local pharmacy. It will save GP time and
will save money for women who have to pay for a GP appointment and then go and
pay for the prescription. It will genuinely give women an alternative option out
of hours. We know that pharmacists often operate longer hours than general
practitioners.
Pharmacists will be required to
complete additional training before they can issue a resupply of the pill for a period of up to 12 months. After 12 months,
women will have to go back to their GP for a new script. Women can see
which pharmacists are doing this through the online portal ''Find a Pharmacy''.
This is part of Labor's building better access to health care,
particularly in women's health, through a range of reforms, including
abortion reform, providing free period products in public schools, building the
new women's and babies' hospital and providing better access to
primary care through pharmacies. We will continue to support women in Western Australia
through better access to health care.
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