Medications advice phoneline to close

A telephone line to advise consumers about medications will close when its current funding agreement ends on 30 July, the Federal Government has announced. 
 
There will be no replacement service for the Consumer Medicines Line, 1300 MEDICINE, which is staffed by pharmacists to answer patients’ medicine-related questions, as well as pass on reports of adverse reactions to medications and vaccines.
 
According to a Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) spokesperson, the phoneline took an average of 900 calls each month from July 2024 to May 2026.
 
They said the level of calls ranged from 7000 to 10,000 annually over the past decade, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
‘Closure of the Consumer Medicines Line reflects a broader approach to strengthening primary care and supporting consumers to receive advice about medicines through their usual healthcare professional, such as their community pharmacist, general practitioner, nurse practitioner or midwife,’ they told newsGP.
 
‘These providers are best placed to give advice that is informed by a person’s medical history and broader care needs.’
 
The Government added that there is ‘now a wide range of trusted and high-quality supports available to help people safely and confidently manage their medicines’.
 
Dr Michael Bonning, Deputy Chair of the RACGP Expert Committee – Funding and Health System Reform, said medicine-related questions are ‘best answered by someone who knows your medical history’. 
 
‘A standalone phone line was never going to be the strongest model of care,’ he told newsGP.  
 
‘As people’s medication needs change it is important that the services that support them best meet those needs.
 
‘The Consumer Medicines Line has been a genuine help to a small group of Australians who didn’t always know where else to turn with a question about their medicines.
 
‘We need to make sure that those people are thought about as the service closes down.
 
‘The work, once again, for the profession is making sure nobody falls through any gaps caused when an established service shuts down.’
 
The phoneline was previously operated by NPS MedicineWise, which closed in December 2022 after the Government removed funding. 
 
Since January 2023 the phoneline has been run by Australian Healthcare Associates, a large Melbourne-based health services consulting firm, after it won an open tender process.
 
The contract has cost $6.38 million over slightly more than three and a half years.
 
DoHDA said patients will be directed to other services, including 1800 MEDICARE, once the Consumer Medicines Line closes next month.
 
It also noted that side effects and issues with medicines or vaccines can still be reported directly to the TGA.
 
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