1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,600
Speaker 1: And as we know, yesterday changes came into place expanding

2
00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:08,119
Speaker 1: the health services community pharmacists can provide. The expanded scope

3
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,240
Speaker 1: of practice includes the ability to provide a range of treatments,

4
00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,440
Speaker 1: including schedule for medicines such as antibiotics. Now, we spoke

5
00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:19,000
Speaker 1: with the Health Minister, Steve Edgington about this yesterday, but

6
00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,239
Speaker 1: joining us on the line for on the ground look

7
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,560
Speaker 1: at how that first day went and how things are

8
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,800
Speaker 1: traveling in this space. It's the Pharmacy guilt President for

9
00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,280
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, Peter Hatswell, good morning to you, Peter.

10
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:32,880
Speaker 2: Good morning Kenny.

11
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,400
Speaker 1: Now, Peter, the initial change, well, it came in yesterday.

12
00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,720
Speaker 1: It was around the expanded scope with things like UTI's.

13
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,760
Speaker 1: From my understanding, what's been the reaction from pharmacists.

14
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:50,120
Speaker 2: Pharmacists are very keen. They're ready and ready and just

15
00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,760
Speaker 2: waiting for everything just to get into place. And that

16
00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,120
Speaker 2: most of the people I've spoken who have already done

17
00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,400
Speaker 2: the extra training needed be able to safely prescribe medications

18
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,040
Speaker 2: for UTI. So we're ready and able to get game.

19
00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,840
Speaker 1: That is good to hear, Peter. How many of our

20
00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,000
Speaker 1: pharmacies are in a position to be able to do that.

21
00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,000
Speaker 2: Well, I don't know exactly, but as far everyone I've

22
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,800
Speaker 2: ever spoken to, and it's quite a lot saying yes,

23
00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,200
Speaker 2: they're on to it, So I would say the majority

24
00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:19,840
Speaker 2: without a doubt.

25
00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,480
Speaker 1: That's good to hear. And it is all about sort

26
00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,080
Speaker 1: of making things, I guess, a little bit more easy

27
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,959
Speaker 1: and accessible for Territorians, isn't it.

28
00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,040
Speaker 2: This is a game change of the Women's Health and

29
00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,480
Speaker 2: the NT. It's really brought the NT on par with

30
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,920
Speaker 2: every other state in Australia. It's been well used, liized,

31
00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,880
Speaker 2: This service has been well utilized everywhere. In fact, I've

32
00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:43,320
Speaker 2: been looking at the numbers this morning and around about

33
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:49,560
Speaker 2: six to seven thousand people seeing pharmacies for UTIs around Australia.

34
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,000
Speaker 2: And obviously we've only just started so we're not there yet,

35
00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,080
Speaker 2: but that's a lot of people I've really taken advantage

36
00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:55,320
Speaker 2: of this.

37
00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, it truly is. And Peter, it sort of seems

38
00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,920
Speaker 1: to me, like you know, I know myself at different times.

39
00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,840
Speaker 1: I know there'll be plenty of people listening this morning

40
00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,960
Speaker 1: that feel the same where sometimes you know you might

41
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,520
Speaker 1: have something that you need to see a medical professional about,

42
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,560
Speaker 1: but it's maybe not sort of at the degree where

43
00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:15,839
Speaker 1: you need to go in and have a full consultation

44
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,760
Speaker 1: with a GP, and that can be costly as well.

45
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,640
Speaker 1: You know, you're paying for the consultation, you're then paying

46
00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,840
Speaker 1: to go in and pick up your script at the pharmacy,

47
00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,960
Speaker 1: so it you know, I hope that it helps people

48
00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,200
Speaker 1: not only in terms of getting the treatment, but in

49
00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,520
Speaker 1: terms of a bit of a cost saving measure also.

50
00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,640
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think it will be a benefit in every way.

51
00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,720
Speaker 2: There'll be that timely access. Pharmacies are open on the

52
00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,520
Speaker 2: average about sixty sixty odd hours a week. That's like

53
00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,480
Speaker 2: nine hours a day. You know, most offsities aren't open

54
00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,920
Speaker 2: anywhere near as long as that, So it's going to

55
00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,679
Speaker 2: keep get that time, the access, the safe and effective care.

56
00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,520
Speaker 2: I mean, pharmacists have done five years of university and

57
00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,840
Speaker 2: community training and there'll be more training on top of

58
00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,880
Speaker 2: that for this service, especially when we're going into the

59
00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,240
Speaker 2: sort of more conditions that we'll be able to be treated.

60
00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:15,000
Speaker 2: So it keeps people out of the unit, out of

61
00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:19,160
Speaker 2: the hospital system, and frease up GPS to be dealing

62
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,400
Speaker 2: with the more complicated stuff. We're really not trying to

63
00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,720
Speaker 2: replace GPS. We're just trying to help our community and

64
00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,760
Speaker 2: our patients in getting the timely and safe care that

65
00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:30,760
Speaker 2: they really need.

66
00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,560
Speaker 1: How long do you think it's going to take for

67
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,160
Speaker 1: pharmacists to be able to diagnose some of the other

68
00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,360
Speaker 1: some of the other things that have been flagged, Well,

69
00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:41,680
Speaker 1: that's it.

70
00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,920
Speaker 2: We're in the process of creating the system to train

71
00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,360
Speaker 2: the pharmacists to be able to do that. That probably

72
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 2: won't start. The training is in the process of being created.

73
00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,040
Speaker 2: That will start towards the end of this year, and

74
00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,880
Speaker 2: it will be at least nine to twelve months before

75
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,320
Speaker 2: we see pharmacists completing that train So it's looking at

76
00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,360
Speaker 2: probably towards the end of next year we'll see the

77
00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,240
Speaker 2: first occasions of service where people can go in and

78
00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,520
Speaker 2: there'll be a range of problems that the pharmacists can

79
00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,160
Speaker 2: look at and talk to patients and get their history

80
00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:20,320
Speaker 2: and decide whether it's appropriate for uncomplicated issues to treat them.

81
00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:25,000
Speaker 1: But from your perspective, pharmacists are pretty happy about the changes.

82
00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:27,640
Speaker 1: They're pleas to see that this is forging ahead.

83
00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:34,400
Speaker 2: Absolutely. I like there's a huge enthusiasm from pharmacy to

84
00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,680
Speaker 2: be able to go in and do this, and obviously

85
00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,120
Speaker 2: there's a lot of work to be done before you know,

86
00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,719
Speaker 2: you become a full scope practice pharmacist. But you know

87
00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,200
Speaker 2: everywhere in Australia is doing it. That many countries in

88
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,840
Speaker 2: the world that already in this space, and it's going

89
00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,800
Speaker 2: to be just you know, it's going to help their

90
00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,960
Speaker 2: communities and that's really what they're all about. But you know,

91
00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,039
Speaker 2: we have to get back and go back and do

92
00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,480
Speaker 2: the study and how to do history had examined someone

93
00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,920
Speaker 2: and of course you know there'll be changes to each

94
00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,159
Speaker 2: pharmacy to make sure that you know, the play, the

95
00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:13,640
Speaker 2: environment where that consultation happens is private and appropriate in

96
00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,840
Speaker 2: size and everything else. There's an all thought that has

97
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,880
Speaker 2: to happen. But we're ready and able and keen to

98
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:20,320
Speaker 2: get on with it and do those things.

99
00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:25,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you reckon many of the actual pharmacy pharmacies

100
00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,080
Speaker 1: are going to need, you know, to do additional work

101
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,520
Speaker 1: in terms of making sure that they've got those consultation

102
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:33,240
Speaker 1: rooms and that kind of thing. Or is that something

103
00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,800
Speaker 1: that a lot of them have already it.

104
00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:39,560
Speaker 2: Certainly most I mean pharmacies have been doing vaccinations for

105
00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:41,839
Speaker 2: some time now for I think it's like eight years

106
00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:48,479
Speaker 2: when the first pharmacists did an influenza vaccine. So there

107
00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:51,640
Speaker 2: are those spaces already created, but there may be need

108
00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,799
Speaker 2: to expand them a bit more and possibly get more

109
00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:58,800
Speaker 2: equipment in there. There's certainly going to be need methoscopes

110
00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:00,400
Speaker 2: and things like that, and all those things need to

111
00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,200
Speaker 2: be addressed, so there's probably quite a bit of work

112
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:05,960
Speaker 2: to be done there. It just depends on the pharmacy

113
00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,039
Speaker 2: and also it depends on the size of the pharmacy

114
00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:14,760
Speaker 2: and their funds available. So they'll that's certainly going to happen,

115
00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:16,840
Speaker 2: and then it'll be up to people to decide where

116
00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,760
Speaker 2: they go and where they feel most comfortable and see

117
00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:21,279
Speaker 2: if their local pharmacy is up to it.

118
00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, look it seems as though it's going to

119
00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,000
Speaker 1: be a good move and as you said, still a

120
00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:28,159
Speaker 1: bit of time to get through all of the other

121
00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,560
Speaker 1: you know, all of the other issues that pharmacists are

122
00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:35,039
Speaker 1: going to be able to prescribe medication for. So that's

123
00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,240
Speaker 1: going to take some work, but all with the aim

124
00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,279
Speaker 1: of making it a bit more accessible for territory and

125
00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:43,960
Speaker 1: so hopefully that is the case sooner rather than later

126
00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:48,599
Speaker 1: Pharmacy Guild into President Peter Hatswell. Always good to catch

127
00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:50,320
Speaker 1: up with you really appreciate your time.

128
00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,240
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Katie, thank you