Doctors raise alarm on pharmacist prescribing powers

A national coalition of doctors, nurses and a pharmacy boss has spoken out against what it calls a lack of oversight of the rushed moves that have given pharmacists the power to prescribe medications, saying it puts patients at risk of complications.

The open letter, signed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian Medical Association, the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners, and the chief executive of Choice Chemist, was sent to state and federal health ministers and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia on Thursday.

The pushback comes after several states and territories, including NSW and Victoria, authorised specially trained pharmacists to prescribe oral contraception and medications for urinary tract infections and shingles, with each jurisdiction enforcing separate training requirements for pharmacist prescribers.

The Pharmacy Board of Australia and AHPRA are considering instituting a national standard for pharmacists and prescribers with consistent qualifications, and are expected to make their decision in July.

The federal government will also begin a nationwide pharmacist prescriber trial in January 2027, offering an estimated 250,000 female concession cardholders cheaper contraceptives and treatments for uncomplicated UTIs through qualified pharmacist providers.

“This is not a statement about the capability of any profession,” the letter read.

“Safe prescribing is not a single moment of care or simply symptom relief. It relies on systems that support continuity, oversight and accountability, not solely on individual practitioner skill or intentions.”

One of the letter’s signatories, pharmacist and chief executive of Choice Chemist and Choice Aged Care, Michael Bonner, said while he supports the regulator’s proposal in principle, it is conditional on systemic safeguards being put in place first.

Bonner said as an employer of about 150 pharmacists, he was concerned that pharmacists with new prescribing powers run the risk of operating in isolated silos, and that without safety systems and without collaborating with GPs and nurses, “there’s going to be a risk, not just to the patient … but to the pharmacist themselves”.

His on-site aged care pharmacists work within a multidisciplinary team, a model he wants to see implemented widely.

RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said the letter’s signatories were concerned about “the rapid expansion” of pharmacy prescriber programs.

“It’s not just about individual competence or the intent of any particular provider, it’s really about making sure that we’ve got a co-o