More than 600 South Australian women have accessed an assessment through the new community pharmacy urinary tract infection (UTI) service in its first month of operation.

The service, made available at participating community pharmacies from March 1, allows South Australian women aged 18-65 with symptoms of an uncomplicated UTI to speak with a trained community pharmacist for assessment and if appropriate, access to a one-off course of antibiotic treatment without needing a prescription.

It means women experiencing the painful symptoms of a UTI can access health advice and antibiotic treatment quickly, without needing a GP appointment, if they meet certain clinical criteria.

Almost half of all registered pharmacists in South Australia have now either completed or are currently going through the additional training. More than 860 pharmacists have completed it and more than 160 are enrolled.

More than 40 per cent of all registered community pharmacies in South Australia are now providing the service which is currently more than 200 sites.

UTIs are common, affecting up to 50 per cent of South Australian women at some time in their life with kidney and urinary conditions resulting in nearly 9,000 hospital emergency department presentations each year.

Women presenting with recurrent infections, additional symptoms, at risk of complications, or displaying any symptoms of a serious infection are referred to their GP or other appropriate health services for further assessment.

The new healthcare model was introduced to address key recommendations made by a South Australian parliamentary committee led by Member for Badcoe Jayne Stinson which investigated UTIs and how to improve access to treatment for women.

In a further boost to women’s health, from Monday 6 May, eligible women will also be able to visit participating pharmacies for assessment to access a resupply of their oral contraceptive pill (the Pill), without needing to see a doctor for a script.

The service will be available to women aged 17 to 50 who have been prescribed an approved contraceptive by a registered medical practitioner.

Before accessing a resupply through a community pharmacy, women must have been taking their Pill continuously for at least two years and had a review from a medical practitioner or authorised prescriber during this time.

Those aged 17 to 40 will be able to access one pack at a time through their pharmacist, up to a maximum of 12 months’ supply. Those aged 41 to 50 can access one pack without a new script before being referred to their GP or authorised prescribing professional for a review.

Where a person is assessed by the pharmacist as not meeting the eligibility or clinical criteria for the Pill or if there are other health related considerations, they will be referred to their GP or health practitioner for further follow up.

Community pharmacists will be required to undertake additional approved training before offering the Pill resupply program. From Monday 6 May, South Australians can check with their local pharmacy to see if they are offering the service.

Details of the new services come as the state’s first 24-hour pharmacies – National Pharmacies at Norwood and Chemist Warehouse pharmacies at Clovelly Park and Salisbury Plain – report strong demand for after-hours medication and health advice.

On average, more than 300 people are accessing the pharmacies each night during their extended hours, with an average of 130 prescriptions dispensed and 28 phone calls received each night across the three pharmacies, since they began operating 24/7.

In the first two months of National Pharmacies at Norwood being open 24/7, 3,046 customers were reported to have visited when it usually would have been closed.

In the first month of 24/7 operation, the southern and northern Chemist Warehouse pharmacies reported 2,790 customers attending the Clovelly Park Chemist Warehouse, and 6,400 customers attending the Salisbury Plain Chemist Warehouse when they previously would have been closed.

That is more than 12,000 customers in total helped after-hours at our three 24/7 pharmacies.

Since they commenced operating 24/7 these pharmacies have dispensed 5,154 scripts, during their new additional hours. They have also taken 1,154 phone calls from people seeking pharmacist advice or checking availability of products.

For more information, go to www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/communitypharmacy.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

Within just one month, we have had more than 600 women experiencing the painful symptoms of a UTI attend a participating pharmacy to speak with a trained community pharmacist for assessment.

This uptake is remarkable and highlights the value in providing women with greater choice to access advice and medication to treat simple UTIs.

It is one of a number of initiatives we have introduced to ensure South Australians can receive the care they need, when then need it, with hundreds also benefiting from round-the-clock care being offered at our three new 24/7 pharmacies.

Not only do these initiatives put patients first and provide faster access to care, but they also help to ease pressure on hospital emergency departments and wait times to see a GP.

Attributable to Jayne Stinson MP, Chair of the Inquiry into Access to UTI Treatment

These results are fantastic and show that this important service is delivering for South Australian women just as the inquiry forecast it would.

I am delighted it’s making a difference for hundreds of women like me who have experienced the awful effects of a UTI and need prompt access to advice and treatment.

From my conversations, it’s clear that people are still learning about this service and I expect the take up and participation by both pharmacists and patients to accelerate as word continues to spread.

Attributable to SA Health Chief Pharmacist Naomi Burgess

UTIs are common and they can impact every part of a woman’s daily life, so it is important we support women by providing local, early access to health advice and treatment.

This new service ensures skilled pharmacists are available to offer guidance and medication for the safe and timely assessment and treatment of uncomplicated UTIs.

This complements the services available through other health providers such as GPs and hospitals, providing access and choice for consumers to get the health advice and care they need quickly while also ensuring complicated cases are appropriately referred.

The addition of the new oral contraceptive pill resupply service from May will be another boost to South Australian women, offering them greater choice to manage their birth control needs.