About the pilot
Queensland Health is facilitating the delivery of the Queensland Community Pharmacy Chronic Conditions Management Pilot.
The aim of this pilot is to improve access to high-quality primary healthcare services for Queenslanders, particularly for those in regional and rural communities.
Pharmacists are highly qualified and trusted members of our healthcare teams. Providing pharmacists with additional clinical training and supporting them to practice to their full scope will enable them to further help and support their local communities.
Background
The Australian Government Productivity Commission and the Queensland Government report, Unleashing the potential: an open and equitable health system, identified that using pharmacists and other health professionals to their full scope of practice is an efficient and effective way to improve access to healthcare delivery and lessen the impacts of workforce shortages and distribution problems, particularly in regional and rural communities.
In 2022 the former Queensland Government made an election commitment to work with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, and other stakeholders to design and implement a pilot of pharmacists practicing to their full scope in North Queensland. The pilot's scope was determined following extensive research, planning, and consultation with key stakeholders, including consumer representative groups, and peak medical and pharmacy organisations.
In September 2023 the pilot was expanded to the entire state, to improve healthcare access for all Queenslanders, regardless of where they live. The Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot officially launched on 24 April 2024.
In March 2024 a separate training pathway was established for pharmacists to prescribe medication for hormonal contraception under a new Queensland Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot. Establishing a separate pilot enabled access to these services to be fast-tracked for women and girls across Queensland. This pilot officially launched on 7 August 2024.
In March 2025, the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services announced that specified services provided through the Scope of Practice Pilot and the Hormonal Contraception Pilot would be permanently implemented as business-as-usual community pharmacy services from 1 July 2025. These services include the medicines management services, the hormonal contraception service, the acute common condition services, and the health and wellbeing services.
From 1 July 2025, chronic conditions management services previously delivered under the Scope of Practice Pilot will continue as part of the new Queensland Community Pharmacy Chronic Conditions Management Pilot. This pilot will run until 30 June 2026.
Pilot services will be formally evaluated to determine how an expanded role for community pharmacists can assist to increase access to high-quality primary healthcare for Queensland communities. The Department of Health has engaged Deloitte to undertake a comprehensive service evaluation of pilot services, aligned to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare dimensions of system performance: accessibility, continuity, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability, appropriateness and safety.
Queensland Community Pharmacy Chronic Conditions Management Pilot
The pilot enables participating pharmacists to undertake protocol/structured prescribing as part of a chronic disease management program. The services available include:
- Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Program for type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia
- Improved Asthma (and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction) Symptom Program
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Monitoring Program
Business-as-usual community pharmacy prescribing services
From 1 July 2025, pharmacists that have completed additional training and meet the requirements set out in the Extended Practice Authority – Pharmacists are able to provide clinical advice and treatment (which may include prescribing medicines) for a range of acute common condition and health and wellbeing services.
These conditions and services include:
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
- Acute nausea and vomiting
- Allergic and nonallergic rhinitis
- Impetigo
- Hormonal contraception
- Herpes zoster (shingles)
- Mild to moderate atopic dermatitis
- Acute exacerbations of mild plaque psoriasis
- Mild to moderate acne
- Acute minor wound management
- Acute diffuse otitis externa
- Acute otitis media
- Acute mild musculoskeletal pain and inflammation
- Smoking cessation
- Oral health screening and fluoride application
- Travel health
- Management of overweight and obesity