MEDIA STATEMENT: More training for community pharmacists to support easier access to healthcare 

Published Saturday, 29 March, 2025 at 03:38 PM

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services
The Honourable Tim Nicholls

29 March 2025 

More training for community pharmacists to support easier access to healthcare

  • Crisafulli Government extends training subsidy for community pharmacists, increasing services to Queenslanders no matter where they live. 

  • Training allows pharmacists to do more and treat everyday health conditions such as ear infections, acne, nausea and more. 

  • The $6 million training subsidy was due to expire on 31 March 2025. 

The Crisafulli Government is extending subsidies of up to $7,000 each to support community pharmacists to do the training and become part of the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice pilot. 

The pilot allows participating pharmacists to treat and prescribe for everyday health conditions such as ear infections, acne, school sores, eczema and mild psoriasis, nausea, as well as a range of health and wellbeing services and chronic conditions management services. 

Pharmacists must do formal training beyond the skills and qualifications they already have to be authorised to deliver the services under the pilots. 

Through the program, eligible pharmacists can access a subsidy of up to $7,000 for successful completion of the training. 

This extension follows on from last week’s announcement that a range of services currently provided through the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot and the Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot would become permanently available from 1 July. 

More than 135 community pharmacists from Cairns to the Gold Coast are already taking part in the pilots. 

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the subsidy program extension would support easier access to health services at the pharmacy for Queenslanders, as part of the Crisafulli Government plan to heal Labor’s Health Crisis. 

“Up to 230 additional community pharmacists will be able to access subsidised training to treat the chronic and acute everyday health conditions because of this training subsidy extension,” Minister Nicholls said. 

“This means that hundreds more pharmacists can provide safe care and treatment for common health conditions – potentially saving Queenslanders a trip to the GP or hospital. 

“We are committed to delivering services for the community to access the right care at the right time, and this program supports easier access to health for Queenslanders. 

“It’s fantastic to see that already, more than 1,700 safe and effective services have been delivered by pharmacies across both pilots, with more services provided each day.

“This is testament to the dedication, skill and training of the pharmacists, as well as the training provided for these programs.”   

 

ENDS 

MEDIA CONTACT: Torny Miller 0439 426 196