MHT AND GORD FLIP THE SCRIPT – AUTONOMOUS PRESCRIBING THE NEXT STEP FOR PATIENT CARE

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Victoria Branch welcomes a greater scope of practice for its community pharmacists through an expanded list of conditions they're authorised to treat following the Victorian Government's announcement today.

The Guild is now calling for all sides of politics to back autonomous prescribing to ease pressure on the healthcare system and improve healthcare access and outcomes for Victorians.

Community pharmacists in Victoria who undertake additional accredited training can now initiate treatment for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and resupply medication and treatment for menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) without needing an additional prescription.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Victoria Branch President George Tambassis said the announcement is an important step in the right direction, and is urging all politicians to follow the lead of other countries that allow autonomous prescribing by suitably qualified and registered pharmacists to increase the accessibility of healthcare services.

Autonomous prescribing would allow pharmacists who have completed postgraduate training to assess patients and prescribe medicines independently within their authorised scope of practice, while working collaboratively with patients and other members of the healthcare team.

"For around 20 years pharmacists in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada have had the ability to prescribe for a comprehensive list of conditions. As a result, they have seen increased patient access to quality care and more efficient use of healthcare system resources," George said. 

"In Victoria we've been dipping our toes in the water, which has provided a win for patients and their associated healthcare ecosystems across the state. Now it's time to dive in and implement this fully.

"The reforms are part of the three key priorities we're asking all political parties and candidates contesting the 2026 election to commit to, because they give Victorians more options to access safe, timely, cost-effective and conveniently-located care through their community pharmacy."

The key winners in this announcement are women, who have so far utilised more than 68 percent of the 100,000-plus consultations that have been provided to Victorians capitalising on community pharmacy's flexible opening hours and increased scope.

"On a practical level, we are seeing women able to put their health first thanks to the availability of safe and convenient healthcare available at their local pharmacy. The addition of MHT particularly to the list is to be commended," George said.

"It makes absolute sense to mobilise our highly skilled pharmacist workforce for such conditions. The recent Rewriting the Script report by HTANALYSTS shows pharmacist autonomous prescribing could free up more than 10 million GP appointments and prevent more than 30,000 hospitalisations each year nationally." 

According to the latest Australian Healthcare Index (7th edition, 2025), pharmacists are the highest rated health professionals by over 8,000 survey participants on the scale of trust - with a net promoter score of 44.

Over the past 12 months, the number of additional common conditions Victorians can access treatment for at their local community pharmacy has more than doubled, with a total of 23 conditions to be available under pharmacists' full scope of practice in Victoria by mid-next year, easing pressure on the healthcare system and making treatment more accessible for all.

 Some of the conditions community pharmacists are now able to treat - such as shingles and urinary tract infections - are especially time-sensitive, so being able to start treatment in a timely manner can make all the difference to achieving a more comfortable and favourable outcome for patients.

To find out more about what your local pharmacist can do visit findapharmacy.com.au/

 The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Victoria Branch A Stronger Pharmacy Network for a Healthier Victoria is available here.

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