PLUNKETTS Chemmart Pharmacy has joined a national push to step up the role of community pharmacies, easing the burden on our back pockets and on over-worked general practitioners (GPs).
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Pharmacist Judy Plunkett described the campaign launched at Parliament House last week as a win-win for the community and the ailing national healthcare system.
In a lot of cases, she said, clinically-trained pharmacists can provide the same advice and assistance as GPs, free of charge, without an appointment or long waiting times at accident and emergency or a medical centre.
"This isn't about discouraging people to see their GP, but reconsidering a pharmacy as your first port of call," Mrs Plunkett said.
"If we see five patients every hour and can sort of triage them first - and solve three of those ailments or illnesses - that would take an enormous amount of pressure of the whole health care system."
Tagged "Discover more. Ask your pharmacist.", the drive targets pain management, after-hospital care, health checks and advice and in-home care in particular.
Pharmacists can also assess and treat minor ailments on the spot, issue sick leave certificates for certain conditions, provide over-the-phone advice and home medication reviews to ensure people are taking the right medicines at the right dose and time.
Other services and benefits include minor sports injuries assessment and treatment, dressings and pain relief after medical procedures, babycare advice, basic health checks and free home deliveries.
Mrs Plunkett is adamant that if the community increases its use of these services, we can save time and money and improve health outcomes.
This is backed by qualitative research conducted by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which showed that 82 per cent of participants would be more inclined to access basic health care services from their community pharmacist.
The guild has identified a range of potential savings, including the cost to tax payers of: GP visits (approximately $962 million per year); hospital stays (an average of $5204 for a single patient's stay) and; aged care costs (an average of $927 per patient per week), as dose administration aids and home deliveries are helping people live independently for as long as possible.
Mrs Plunkett said it was also interesting that more than 35 million work days are lost each year due to chronic pain, at a cost of $34 billion.
"Community pharmacies can increase productivity and help Australians get back to work sooner through pain management advice and treatment," she said.
nicole.langdon@fairfaxmedia.com.au