The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) is urging the Federal Government to judge its national women's health pharmacy trial on whether women actually get the care they need and whether they get better - not simply how many prescriptions are written.
From January 2027, an estimated 250,000 women with concession cards will be able to access government-subsidised pharmacy-prescribed contraceptives and treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said improving access and affordability matters, but added the trial must also answer a simple question: does this model improve care for women?
"A prescription is not an outcome," he said.
"If this trial is going to help shape the future of women's healthcare, we need to know what happens after the pharmacy visit.
"Did the treatment work? Did the woman need more care? Were important health issues picked up? And did the service connect her with the rest of her healthcare, or make that care more fragmented?
"The Government has called this a trial. It should give us clear answers to those questions - not simply tell us how many services were delivered or whether people found it convenient."
The RACGP is calling for the trial to be independently evaluated and for outcomes to be compared with women receiving usual GP care.
The evaluation should also use existing health data to track what happens after treatment, including follow-up care and hospital presentations, and examine whether the model delivers value for patients and taxpayers.
Dr Wright said recent independent reviews reinforce the importance of getting the evaluation right.
The Grattan Institute has called for rigorous national trials before expanding pharmacist prescribing services, while a separate Sax Institute review commissioned by the RACGP found significant gaps in high-quality evidence about the outcomes of many pharmacist prescribing models.
"Access matters, particularly for women who face barriers to healthcare," Dr Wright said.
"But access should be the start of the conversation, not the end of it.
"If this model delivers better care, a strong and independent evaluation will show that. If it doesn't, women, clinicians and taxpayers deserve to know before it is expanded.
"Women deserve care that is affordable, convenient and backed by evidence. We want to work with the Government to make sure this trial gives Australians answers they can trust."
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