Summary
Date: 22 July 2022
Queensland Health sought feedback on proposed amendments to the Extended Practice Authority – Pharmacists Version 1 document for the sections that reference the recent Urinary Tract Infection Pharmacy Pilot – Queensland (UTIPP-Q) arrangements which have now been made permanent.
The RACGP has provided a written submission to Queensland Health continuing to oppose the decision to permanently allow pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) in women aged 18 years and older. The pilot did not sufficiently demonstrate that pharmacists can safely treat UTI and in fact demonstrated there is a risk of pharmacists overprescribing antibiotics. The RACGP is also concerned that this pilot establishes a protocol that is outside of current regulatory processes.