Eczema and shingles treatments to be prescribed by Pharmacists next month

Thousands of patients suffering from common skin conditions such as eczema and shingles will be able to receive prescriptions from select pharmacies next month.

Thousands of patients suffering from common skin conditions such as eczema and shingles will be able to receive prescriptions from select pharmacies next month, allowing them to bypass their GPs.

Pharmacists will be granted the new prescribing powers on July 12, under an expansion of the NSW Pharmacy trial.

The trial, led by the University of Newcastle, was first rolled out in April last year, allowing women suffering from urinary tract infections (UTIs) to be prescribed antibiotics by participating chemists.

The trial was expanded three months later to include prescriptions for the contraceptive pill.

The success of the trial which saw more than 17,000 women bypass GPs, resulted in the Minns government giving pharmacists permanent prescription powers for UTIs earlier this month.

More than 1000 chemists are expected to participate in the trial. Picture: Newswire

As of next month both women and men will now be able to use the service to receive prescriptions for common skin conditions including eczema and shingles — a reactivation of the chickenpox virus — school sores and mild plaque psoriasis.

For other skin conditions pharmacists can now assess the severity of those conditions.

Consultations under the expanded trial will be free for patients, though they will have to pay for medications.

The new phase of the trial, which commences next month, will go until February 28 next year.

All pharmacy trials will undergo a detailed evaluation in 2025, with the view to becoming permanent depending on success.

Patients will be able to receive consultations for skin ailments at about 1100 pharmacies across NSWe, with pharmacy recruitment targeted at practices who signed up for the previous UTI and oral contraceptive pill trials.

In turn, the NSW government will pay pharmacists $35 per each consultation and a practice allowance of $500 per pharmacy.

The funding will pay for nearly 22,860 consultations.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the success of pharmacy trials for UTIs and oral contraception meant the government could now expand into other mild disorders.

“We know how difficult it is to access a GP — there were fewer GPs in NSW in 2023 than there were in 2018,” he said.

“That’s why we’re making it easier for people to gain access to simple treatments and the medications they need for non-complex conditions.”

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park. Picture: Kelly Barnes

 Pharmacy Guild NSW Branch President David Heffernan said hundreds of community pharmacies were likely to sign up in a bid to help plug gaps in primary health care.

“This will make a real difference for patients. The success of the UTI trial shows that people value options for affordable, accessible everyday healthcare,” he said.

“This trial will mean more accessible everyday healthcare, taking pressure off hospital emergency departments and freeing up GPs to treat more complex conditions.

“Community pharmacies across NSW are ready to do more to help provide patients with primary health care they need.”

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