On this page

1. NSW Pharmacy Trial
2. Help to manage skin conditions
3. Insights from the NSW pharmacy trial
4. Services now available
   1. Urinary tract infection (UTI) management
   2. Hormonal contraception resupply
   3. Additional services from interstate-trained pharmacists
5. Future services
6. Other services at your pharmacy

NSW Pharmacy Trial

Pharmacists with appropriate training can now help manage select common health conditions – including some treatment with medicines usually only available with a prescription.

The NSW Pharmacy Trial is a research study that is testing pharmacist services for:

• common skin conditions
• urinary tract infections (UTI)
• resupply of oral contraceptive pills.

The University of Newcastle​​​ is leading the trial in association with the University of Technology Sydney, University of New England, Charles Sturt University, The George Institute for Global Health and the Hunter Medical Research Institute, peak bodies and other professional organisations.

The trials for UTI management and resupply of oral contraceptive pills have finished and these services are now available in NSW.

Help to manage skin conditions

You may be eligible to have your skin condition treated by a pharmacist participating in the NSW Pharmacy Trial, if you have symptoms of:

• mild to moderate eczema (atopic dermatitis)
• shingles (herpes zoster)
• school sores (impetigo)
• mild plaque psoriasis.

   

Insights from the NSW pharmacy trial

An evaluation of the Urinary Tract Infection and Oral Contraceptive Pill phases of the NSW Pharmacy Trial will be provided to NSW Health in 2025, while evaluation of the dermatology phase will be provided in 2026, along with a detailed evaluation of all aspects of the trial. These evaluations will be used to inform future service delivery models.

Services now available

Community pharmacists working in NSW, who have completed appropriate training, can now help manage certain health conditions.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) management

Hormonal contraception resupply

Additional services from interstate-trained pharmacists

In addition to the above services, NSW Health has authorised individual pharmacists who have successfully completed specified university-level training available through the Queensland University of Technology and James Cook University to provide treatment to eligible people for:

• ​Mild, acute musculoskeletal pain
• Gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
• Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis.

​Specific pharmacist training requirements are outlined within the NSW Authorities.

Future services

The NSW Government is also exploring other ways to expand pharmacists’ scope of practice including the following conditions:

• ​Middle ear infection (Acute otitis media)
• Outer ear infection (Acute otitis externa)
• Acute minor wound management
• Acute nausea and vomiting
• Gastro-oesophageal reflux and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
• Mild to moderate acne
• Mild, acute musculoskeletal pain

Subject to appropriate training and ongoing work in implementation work, these services may be available as soon as 2026.

NSW Health is consulting with universities on the development of suitable training as well as the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on request supports for pharmacists including:

• ​Condition specific training and
• Upskilling in clinical assessment, diagnosis, management and clinical documentation.

​ Other services at your pharmacy

• Vaccination
• Opioid dependence program