The University of Newcastle has been awarded a $3m grant to run the NSW Government's clinical pharmacy trial, which will for the first time enable pharmacists to prescribe treatments for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and continue a prescription for the re-supply of the oral contraceptive pill.
Announced on Sunday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the pharmacy clinical trial was aimed at making it easier and quicker for people, particularly women, to access important prescription medications and treatments.
"It's harder than ever to get into a GP and that's why these changes will make a real difference to people who need to access a range of prescriptions and treatments," Mr Perrottt said.
Lead researcher of the clinical trial, the University of Newcastle's Dr Sarah Dineen-Griffin, said the project would aim to capture robust outcome data to inform government policy decisions on the future scope and role of community pharmacists which would benefit women in NSW.
In NSW, there are approximately 2.4 million women between the ages 18-65 years. In 2017-18 there were 76,854 hospitalisations for kidney infections and UTIs. The hospitalisation rate for kidney infections and UTIs among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is around double the rate for other Australians.
Dr Dineen-Griffin, of the School Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, said rapid and accurate diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was essential to ensure a timely and effective treatment.
"I am pleased that the University of Newcastle has been selected to lead this important project which will evaluate and implement innovative services delivered by 2,100 community pharmacies across NSW under a clinical trial framework," she said.
The consortium consists of a leading multi-disciplinary team of 18 Chief Investigators who are experts in all areas in primary care and collaborative practice with other health care professionals, women's health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, regional and rural health, antimicrobial resistance and stewardship, and implementation of services in community pharmacy.
The project includes 18 partner organisations including peak pharmacy bodies and medical organisations, consumer organisations and universities including Macquarie University, UTS, UNE and CSU across NSW.
The George Institute for Global Health and the Hunter Medical Research Institute health economics team will perform an independent evaluation of the trial to determine clinical and economic impact against the key success measures provided by the NSW Government, including patient safety.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Professor Zee Upton, congratulated Dr Dineen-Griffin on the grant, which acknowledged her leading expertise in the pharmacy field.
"Sarah's expertise is well-known, having last year been one of only four Australian women to be named a 'Rising Star' by the International Pharmaceutical Federation.
"We are proud to see our researchers leading important and innovative research projects which are designed to support the people in our communities to lead better, healthier lives."
Dr Dineen-Griffin said pharmacists would be trained, and apply co-designed protocols, informed by international and national data, on the consultation process and referral pathways strengthened to other parts of our health system.
"At the same time of increasing access to the general population in metropolitan areas, of particular interest to us is improving health care for rural populations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
"There is a need to develop innovative models of primary health care at a time when there has been immense strain on our health system during COVID," Dr Dineen-Griffin said.
