Hundreds of SA women have been fast to find relief from a new service offering super speedy UTI treatment. It’s part of a $2.5 million state government boost for pharmacy care that also includes 24/7 chemists and hassle-free access to oral contraceptives.
As any woman who’s ever suffered from a painful UTI knows, anything that clears it up quicker is a serious win. So it’s no wonder that 600 South Australian women have already accessed the new community pharmacy urinary tract infection (UTI) service in its first month.
How it works
The service means that if you’re between 18 and 65 and suspect a UTI, you can skip the whole palaver of seeing a GP for a prescription and head straight to your nearest participating pharmacist. A trained pharmacist will be able to diagnose you on the spot and provide a one-off course of antibiotics for an uncomplicated UTI straight away.
Where you can find it
Almost half of all registered pharmacists in South Australia have now either completed or are in the process of the additional training needed to provide the UTI service. That means more than 40 per cent of all registered community pharmacies in South Australia are now providing the service at more than 200 sites. That’s great news for the almost 50 per cent of South Australian women who will require treatment for the painful condition each year.
Hassle-free access to oral contraceptives
In more good news for women’s health, restocking your oral contraceptive pills is also set to get a whole lot easier very soon. From 6 May 2024, if you’ve had the pill prescribed by a doctor in the past 12 months, trained community pharmacies will be able to resupply you without a fresh script.
Just like with UTIs, you’ll need to have a quick chat first with a pharmacist, who may charge a fee for their expert advice. However, this change means you can maintain your contraceptive routine with ease (even if you leave your resupply to the last minute). Plus, you’ll be reducing the need for GP appointments.
Round-the-clock pharmacy access
This comes as the state’s first 24-hour pharmacies – National Pharmacies at Norwood and Chemist Warehouse pharmacies at Clovelly Park and Salisbury Plain – are proving an extremely popular way for South Australians to access out of hours healthcare advice and medication.
On average, 300-plus people are accessing the pharmacies each night since they went 24/7. That’s more than 12,000 customers in total who have visited the three pharmacies during their new extra opening hours, with pharmacists filling 5,154 scripts and fielding 1,154 phone calls from people seeking advice and information during those times.
The government has invested $2.5 million a year to fund the three 24/7 community pharmacies, which means a pharmacist is now on hand 24 hours a day in Adelaide’s east, north and south to provide expert advice and fill prescriptions. There’s also on-site security guards overnight to make sure the pharmacies are a safe space for anyone who needs them. So no matter what unearthly hour of the day or night you need fast access to medication and health advice, it’s now available from a trusted source.
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More pharmacy improvements are on the way
As well as the three 24/7 pharmacies, the South Australian Government is providing pharmacists access to mental health first aid training so they can provide initial support to people experiencing mental illness. There are also more vaccines on offer at pharmacies and soon to be expanded access to palliative care medicines in around 30 pharmacies across the state.
The latest stage of a bigger plan
These handy new pharmacy services are the latest stage of a multi-million dollar state government rollout of initiatives to free up hospital emergency departments and GP waiting rooms. In good news for South Australians, these initiatives are ones that make healthcare way more accessible and convenient.
The 24/7 pharmacies will help people avoid busy hospital emergency departments by providing access to medicines, health advice and pharmacy services around the clock.
Virtual healthcare
Another initiative to keep South Australians out of hospital is a virtual healthcare service for children and adolescents. If you’re not already familiar with the service, we’ve got all the details for you here.
If you’re a woman experiencing gynaecological issues that are stressing you out, problems with an IUD, or you’re newly pregnant and experiencing symptoms of possible pregnancy loss, there’s a free virtual healthcare service especially for you – run by expert (and very sympathetic) midwifes.
Urgent care clinics
The Federal Government is delivering five Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in SA. These clinics give South Australians the option to see a doctor or nurse for urgent, non-life-threatening health conditions when they can’t get an appointment at their usual GP.
The idea is that you can walk into any Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for bulk billed no out of pocket cost urgent care without the need for an appointment or referral. The five clinics are at Marion, Elizabeth, Mount Gambier, Royal Park and Morphett Vale.
For more information on the community pharmacy initiatives, click here.
