NSW pharmacy prescribing trials linked with higher follow-up GP visits
03 Jun 2026
The University of Newcastle review, commissioned by NSW Health, assessed the pharmacy-led UTI prescribing trial and a separate oral contraceptive resupply program. Both trials aimed to improve access to medicines through community pharmacists.
The UTI trial involved around 17,300 women across more than 1,000 pharmacies. Most participants reported symptom improvement within a week, and 79.4% said their symptoms had cleared after treatment.
However, the evaluation also found that more than 40% of participants visited a GP within 28 days of their pharmacy consultation. Around 7.3% were referred directly to a GP or hospital at the time of consultation.
Researchers noted the lack of a control group as a key limitation, making it difficult to compare outcomes with standard GP care. Participants were also more likely to be from metropolitan and higher socioeconomic areas.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners warned the findings should not be used to justify wider expansion of pharmacy prescribing. RACGP leaders said the data does not clearly show whether pharmacy prescribing is needed, especially given the high rate of subsequent GP visits.
Concerns were also raised about diagnosis accuracy, as no urine testing was routinely performed to confirm UTIs in the trial.
The evaluation estimated more than $2 million in health system savings and suggested the antibiotics used were unlikely to significantly impact antimicrobial resistance. However, it also found more than one in four participants already had resistance to first-line antibiotics.
In a separate trial, pharmacy resupply of the oral contraceptive pill involved fewer than 2,000 patients despite more than 1,200 pharmacies participating. About 95% of participants received their medication, and satisfaction levels were high.
However, experts again highlighted the lack of a control group and questioned whether outcomes measured through self-reporting accurately reflected clinical quality of care.
RACGP leaders also raised concerns about appropriateness of care pathways, noting that long-acting reversible contraception is often preferred as first-line treatment for many patients.
While NSW has expanded pharmacist prescribing in some areas, medical leaders say further evidence is needed before broader rollout.
NSW pharmacy prescribing trials linked with higher follow-up GP visits
Source: newsGP / University of Newcastle / NSW Health evaluation