Talking Point: Why pharmacists should step in for Tasmanian doctors

JOHN DOWLING: Tasmania is set to lose GPs and access to consultations

SOLUTION: Let pharmacists treat common ailments and provide repeat prescriptions.

Tasmanians are set to lose access to up to two GP consultations per year and there will also be a shortage of more than 100 GPs across the state by 2030, according to a new report by Deloitte Access Economics.

Nationally, the report predicts Australia will have a GP shortage of 9298 by 2030.

Although 2030 seems far off, Australians are already feeling the pressure of diminishing GP services.

The study predicts by next year there will be a GP deficit of 995 GPs in cities and a deficit of 303 GPs in regional areas across the country.

This will also result in shorter consultations. Between 2019 and 2030, the average number of hours GPs spend with patients each week will fall from 34.1 hours to 33.6 hours.

Considering the total shortfall of consultation times, for Australians living in regional areas, it’s the equivalent to losing one standard consult per year. For those in metro areas, it’s closer to two. Australians are often forced to wait weeks, travel, take time off work, and then pay for a consultation — and it’s only going to get worse.

Community pharmacists are uniquely placed to relieve some of the strain on already overworked GPs and overcrowded emergency departments.

And data released just this week shows the number of people going to emergency departments in Tasmania continues to increase — up 2.2 per cent since last year — and the portion of people seen on time is decreasing. More than a third of people who present to Tasmanian EDs are not seen within the medically recommended time.

Pharmacists are already the most easily accessible health professionals in the country and currently provide the most free health advice of any health professional, with 450 million individual patient visits to pharmacies last year.

With GPs being forced to shorten appointments, it makes sense to better use resources already in the health system, including community pharmacists.

By empowering pharmacists to treat common ailments, administer more vaccinations and provide repeat prescriptions for stable and ongoing conditions, we can overcome some of the problems caused by the growing shortage of GPs.

In countries such as the UK and Canada, governments have already addressed the rising inaccessibility of medical services by empowering pharmacists to do more. This has resulted in substantially improved patient care and allows GPs to devote their time to more complex ailments.

Even Queensland is launching a trial to better use pharmacists in the new year.

Without serious action to address the GP shortfall, patients will lose up to two GP consultations per year, waiting times will increase and out-of-pocket costs will continue to rise.

There is clear international evidence that pharmacists are well-placed to address these serious issues.

It makes sense to empower community pharmacists to provide people with more timely and affordable access to healthcare, and improve patient outcomes, while saving money for government and patients.

John Dowling is a community pharmacist and president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Tasmania Branch.