On 13 November 2022, the NSW Government announced its commitment to:

The NSW Government is funding a 12-month state-wide clinical trial where appropriately trained pharmacists will be able to prescribe medications for UTIs. 

The implementation of this large-scale pilot within a clinical trial framework will help the government and NSW Health to better understand, through robust data collection, the benefits and risks to patients of pharmacy prescribing in the context of the primary care setting in NSW.  

The trial will capture data on treatment success, complications and any recommendations regarding the safe implementation for pharmacist prescribing for UTIs in NSW. 

It is anticipated the clinical trial will commence in the first quarter of 2023.

An Expression of Interest (EOI) to design and implement the clinical trial is open and research organisations are invited to submit their EOI applications. Further information can be found at NSW Health and Medical Research website

Applications close on 4 December 2022 and the successful applicant is expected to be announced in early 2023.

Community pharmacists wishing to participate in the trial will have the opportunity to register with the clinical trial team, once established. 

Further information will be provided once the successful applicant has been announced.

The NSW Government also announced a pilot where appropriately trained pharmacists can prescribe medications for a range of minor conditions.

Development of this pilot is in its early stages; however, the NSW Government intends to replicate the North Queensland pilot , which is currently being finalised by the Queensland Government, by allowing pharmacists who undertake additional training to prescribe medications for common conditions, such as skin ailments and ear infections, as well as provide hormonal contraception. More information will be available in due course.