Open letter demands pharmacy prescribing review

The RACGP has teamed up with leading medical bodies to call on the next Victorian Government to commit to an independent review of pharmacy-prescribed contraception.
 
On Wednesday, the RACGP published an open letter alongside the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria, demanding the commitment.
 
With Victorians heading to the polls on 28 November, the group says the review must focus on patient outcomes, adverse events, and the broader system impacts of the care model.
 
‘While improving access to contraception is an important objective, it must not come at the expense of patient safety, quality of care, or informed choice,’ the letter said.
 
‘Contraceptive care extends beyond the supply of a medicine. It requires clinical assessment, discussion of available options, consideration of individual risk factors and ongoing review.’

The letter comes just weeks after the RACGP called on the Federal Government to independently evaluate its national women’s health pharmacy trial, and to base this on patient outcomes rather than prescription numbers.
 
‘New models of care should be robustly trialled before they are rolled out to the public,’ the letter said.
 
‘Independent analyses by the Sax Institute and Grattan Institute have highlighted the limited evidence supporting emerging retail pharmacy prescribing models and the need for rigorous evaluation of patient outcomes.
 
‘We are concerned that these models are being expanded without robust evidence, transparent monitoring, or comprehensive assessment of their long-term impacts.’
 
Victoria’s pharmacy prescribing model, Chemist Care Now, allows eligible patients to start or restart the oral contraceptive pill without a prescription, as well as resupplying the vaginal ring and the depot injection.
 
When the contraceptive pill was added to the model, then-Premier Jacinta Allan said the aim is to make life ‘easier, safer and more affordable’.
 
‘Accessing contraception should not be a burden for women,’ she said.
 
However, Wednesday’s open letter questions whether contraception can be prescribed safely in individual encounters.
 
‘Women require personalised, ongoing contraceptive care, including management of potential complications that may arise, as well as access to the full range of contraceptive options and choice,’ it says.
 
‘Victorian women deserve confidence that the care they receive is safe, evidence-based, clinically appropriate, and supported by robust safeguards.
 
‘Expanding access to contraception and sexual and reproductive healthcare should instead be underpinned by sustained investment in the women’s health workforce, ensuring access to timely, comprehensive, and personalised care that meets women’s individual health needs.’
 
The RACGP has collated its pharmacy scope of practice advocacy into a dedicated webpage for GPs, including access to reports, analysis, webinars and media.
 
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