Australia vax ‘wooden spoon’ holder

AUSTRALIA holds the wooden spoon when it comes to delivering immunisations through pharmacies, and something needs to change, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Queensland Branch President, Trent Twomey believes.

Speaking at a sitting of the Queensland Parliamentary Health, Communities, Disability Services and Family Violence Prevention Committee, Twomey urged the State Government to authorise pharmacists to provide funded vaccines through the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

“Where we currently sit today Queensland has the largest scope of practice in terms of pharmacist-led vaccinations in the Commonwealth,” he said.

“Alas there is a lot more that needs to be done to ensure Queenslanders have the greatest level of access to vaccinations, and that includes through their local community pharmacy.

“Whilst we may be leading the Australian Commonwealth, we’re in fact the holders of the wooden spoon in the OECD.

“Being able to provide it is something that you can do under the pharmacist vaccination drug therapy protocol, but whether or not a person can afford to get it is another measure of access.

“Cost is a barrier to access, and that is access to the Commonwealth Government’s NIP.

“Currently Western Australia, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania, all the residents of those states and territories have access to the Commonwealth-funded vaccinations through their local community pharmacy, however, Queenslanders do not.

“This is something that is completely within the remit and control of the Queensland Department of Health.

“It is something they could do with a simple swipe of a pen.”

During the committee hearing, Twomey said under the current drug therapy protocol governing pharmacist vaccination in the state, pharmacists should have the same scope of practice to administer vaccines as GPs or nurses.

He also took aim at representatives of the medical profession for their “self-serving” criticism of the Queensland pharmacist prescribing trial, which was dubbed “bargain-basement healthcare”.

Twomey urged the committee to focus on patient-centric care and to support increased access to immunisations through pharmacy.