Queensland women and girls are set to have greater access to hormonal contraception in order to reduce barriers to reproductive healthcare.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has announced that hormonal contraception will be able to be prescribed by appropriately trained community pharmacists.
This ground-breaking initiative will mean women and girls aged 16 and older can access a range of hormonal contraceptives through their local pharmacy.
Although originally part of the North Queensland Scope of Practice Pilot, the Queensland Government will offer a standalone training program to encourage even more pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception.
The change will reduce time and geographical barriers to accessing hormonal contraception, particularly for women in regional, rural, and remote areas.
Pharmacists who have already completed training for the broader Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot or will complete it over the coming weeks and months, will not need to complete additional training.
This announcement comes following last year’s Senate report, Ending the postcode lottery: Addressing barriers to sexual, maternity, and reproductive healthcare in Australia, which found that two in three Australian women use some form of contraception.
It also found 83 per cent have used contraception at some point in their lives.
While most women use some form of contraception, there are still significant barriers to accessing contraception in Queensland, as the health system continues to face increased demand and workforce shortages.
The service is expected to be available from July 2024.
Queensland Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman said, “I am committed to delivering Queensland women and girls better to access the healthcare services they need, closer to home.”
“This decision will help break down the barriers women currently face to accessing contraception – including lack of access to primary care.
“It will also ease the burden on GPs, freeing up appointments for sicker Queenslanders in need of care.
“Pharmacists are highly qualified and trusted members of our healthcare system and supporting them to practice to their full scope will enable them to provide additional services to their communities.
“I want to assure Queenslanders that pharmacists will be required to complete additional clinical training to provide this service, which will be made available to pharmacists in the coming months.”
Pharmacy Guild of Queensland vice president Amanda Seeto said, “This is a great announcement for women’s access to medicines in Queensland.”
“I would like to congratulate the Queensland Government on continuing to lead the nation in providing healthcare solutions that make a positive difference in communities.”
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Queensland branch president Shane MacDonald said, “PSA’s vision is that every Queenslander has access to safe, quality, and effective healthcare through optimising the role of pharmacists.
“This is certainly a positive step towards achieving this.”
