‘Uncollaborative pursuit of widespread pharmacy prescribing’

The RACGP and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) have penned a scathing review of pharmacy prescribing consultation, saying a recent forum into the plan showed ‘complete disregard for meaningful debate’.
 
In a joint letter sent to the Pharmacy Board of Australia, the two organisations slammed a national forum held last month, saying they were left disappointed in the ‘uncollaborative pursuit of widespread pharmacy prescribing’.
 
The forum was organised by the Pharmacy Board to discuss its proposed model for pharmacist prescribing – developed following a request from the nation’s health ministers to create a nationally consistent model for endorsement of pharmacists to prescribe scheduled medicines.
 
The plan, if approved, will enable qualified pharmacists to have their registration endorsed by the Board to administer, obtain, possess, prescribe, sell, supply and use scheduled medicines.
 
The RACGP and the AMA both attended the forum, saying they hoped it would be an ‘opportunity to have a meaningful discussion’.
 
‘We thought the forum would have regard to the evidence showing that most overseas models are collaborative and that the embedding of pharmacists within a clinical team appears critical to reducing the potential for fragmentation of patient care,’ the joint letter states.
 
‘Unfortunately, none of these things were on the table for meaningful discussion.
 
‘We do not have any sense the Board is interested in supporting best practice care.’
 
The two bodies are now urging the Board to ‘urgently reconsider’ its approach to the consultation process, saying it is ‘suppressing debate’.
 
‘It is simply not good enough that when we raised fundamental issues that did not fit with the tightly orchestrated agenda, such as the separation of prescribing and dispensing and clinical governance, we were initially told the only option was to write these on Post-it notes and place them on a wall at the back of the room so that they could be considered,’ the letter said.
 
However, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia says the letters ‘fails to distinguish between allegations and opinions and contains no actual evidence’.
 
‘While the release claims the Pharmacy Board is pursuing a “risky prescribing agenda” sadly these statements reflect the doctor lobby’s fears not facts,’ a spokesperson said.
 
‘Every day, pharmacists across Australia identify and correct thousands of prescribing mistakes made by other prescribers.
 
‘These same skills and knowledge form the basis for pharmacists to undertake additional training to qualify as an autonomous pharmacist prescriber.’
 
A spokesperson for the Pharmacy Board added that they acknowledge the ‘long-standing concerns from the medical profession’ about potential fragmentation of care, conflicts of interest and clinical governance.
 
‘These issues will be a key focus of the consultation and the Board’s consideration in preparing a draft registration standard and guidelines for the consideration of Health Ministers,’ they told newsGP.
 
‘The Board is committed to a transparent and inclusive consultation that recognises the important voice of the medical profession and our shared interest in the safety and quality of prescribing in Australia.
 
‘Further opportunities are planned, including an open public consultation scheduled to commence late this year and continue into early 2026.’
 
But AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said the Pharmacy Board has ‘restricted opportunities for stakeholders to raise concerns about the proposed endorsement’.
 
‘The Board set the forum up in a way that ensured any opposing views, even when grounded in rigorous evidence and supported by data, were discouraged,’ she said.
 
‘It appeared intent on supporting a model that risks fragmenting care, creating conflicts of interest, and removing a key safeguard for patient safety – by supporting pharmacists to both prescribe and dispense medicines.’
 
The AMA and RACGP are now urging the Pharmacy Board to reconsider its consultation process, saying it needs to enable ‘meaningful and substantive dialogue’.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said the recent discussions around pharmacy prescribing ‘raised serious concerns’.
 
‘While there was some acknowledgement of the conflict of interest pharmacists face when both prescribing and selling medications, there was little substantive discussion on how to address this issue,’ he said.
 
‘This silence is troubling and will have serious consequences for patients.
 
‘There appeared to be a lack of understanding and desire to deal with the risks involved in expanding prescribing rights to all medications.
 
‘Of particular concern is the absence of safeguards around Schedule 8 medications, and the broader risks of fragmented care and patient confusion when multiple providers deliver overlapping services.’
 
Dr Wright said that while the ‘future of healthcare is collaborative’, that collaboration must be safe, structured, and centred on patient wellbeing.
 
‘GPs and pharmacists each bring vital expertise to the healthcare system. But integration must never come at the cost of clinical rigour or trusted care,’ he said.
 
‘We will continue to advocate for a model that prioritises safety over shortcuts, because we know that when healthcare is rushed, patients bear the risk.’
 
The Pharmacy Board spokesperson said that as part of an ‘ongoing commitment to the quality use of medicines’, AHPRA recently updated the National Prescribing Competencies Framework for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
 
‘This is one of the guiding documents used for the education and regulation of prescribers and promotes best practice,’ they said.
 
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