As part of the ongoing plan to increase access to health care in the province, the Provincial Government has worked with the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board to expand the scope of practice for pharmacists. Changes to the regulations governing pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador to support this expanded scope of practice are now in effect.
Pharmacists are now able to extend prescriptions to a maximum of 12 months, rather than the 90 days previously permitted under the regulations. This will assist in ensuring individuals have timely access to needed medications.
Additional changes also allow for the assessment and prescribing for four additional ailments and conditions, as well as the prescribing of hormonal contraception. With these additions, pharmacists are now able to assess and prescribe for a total of 33 ailments and conditions. The four new ailments and conditions are:
- Conjunctivitis;
- Fungal Nail Infections;
- Herpes Zoster – Shingles; and
- Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection.
Allowing pharmacists to prescribe for these common ailments and conditions provides residents of the province with more convenient options for how they access and receive health care. Treatment of select ailments and conditions at a local pharmacy provides appropriate and timely access to health care for all residents.
The Provincial Government has also been working with the Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador to ensure these expanded services are universally available to all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and not limited to beneficiaries of the Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program. An investment of approximately $16.6 million is being made to support coverage of the pharmacist’s fees to allow universal access to these expanded services at community pharmacies.
Individuals should contact their local pharmacy to ensure these services are available.
Quotes
“We continuously look for innovative solutions to help address the recruitment and retention challenges we are facing, and the expansion of the scope of practice for our health professionals is one such measure. Pharmacists play an integral role in the delivery of health care in our province, and providing them with the ability to work to their full scope of practice furthers our efforts to increase access to health care for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
“Our government is confident that expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists in the province will help increase access to health services in a timely manner. Allowing pharmacists to assess and prescribe for these ailments/conditions, as well as enhancing their scope for prescription extensions, are additional measures which will help alleviate the demand for non-urgent services on our health care system.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
“Pharmacy services are essential to the delivery of accessible health care in our province. Enhancing pharmacists’ prescriptive authority and empowering them to use their expertise to assess and treat ailments and conditions within their scope is an important step towards improving accessibility and continuity of care for patients. The Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board continues to work collaboratively with the government to enable pharmacy professionals to practice to the full extent of their knowledge and skills to provide quality health care to the people in our province.”
Noelle Patten
Registrar and CEO, Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board
“This is a tremendous step forward in expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists in Newfoundland and Labrador while increasing equitable access to care through universal coverage for prescription extensions and other assessment fees for ailments and conditions. PANL was pleased to work with our many stakeholders towards today’s announcement and will continue to advocate for pharmacists providing further primary care services to the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Dr. Janice Audeau
Community Pharmacist and President, Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
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