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Let Pharmacies Do More
Someone with an ear infection should not have to wait a week to see a GP when a pharmacist can safely treat it.
One in four adults says the time taken to get an appointment was a barrier to seeing a GP. At the same time, New Zealand has more than a thousand community pharmacies staffed by qualified health professionals whose skills are not being fully used.
Pharmacists can already treat several common conditions. ACT would widen that list and set clear rules for when a patient needs to see a doctor.
ACT will:
Let pharmacies treat more everyday conditions, including chest infections, ear infections, skin infections, acute pain, sore throats, tonsillitis, school sores, styes, gout, osteoarthritis, vaginal thrush and period pain, as well as provide STI self-swab testing.
Allow accredited pharmacists to monitor stable hypertension, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, and adjust medication within GP-set limits. Pharmacists could also order appropriate blood tests when requested or clinically necessary. GPs would retain overall clinical responsibility and visibility, with results recorded in the shared health record.
Pilot pharmacy-based skin-lesion checks to help detect skin cancer sooner. Trained pharmacists would use dermatoscopes and an approved AI risk-assessment tool, with clear pathways for referral and monitoring.
Remove barriers preventing new pharmacies from opening, including the five-pharmacy ownership cap and proximity restrictions, while cutting licensing red tape.
Enable secure 24-hour prescription lockers so patients can collect eligible medicines when it suits them.
In our team's words:
ACT Leader David Seymour says:
“New Zealand is not short of medical expertise. The problem is access. GPs have long waiting lists, emergency departments are under pressure, and too many patients are stuck waiting for routine care.
“Pharmacists are trained health professionals, yet we still make them refer people back to a GP for conditions they could safely treat. If your pharmacist can sort it out, you should not have to join the GP queue.
“More than 120,000 people used the Minor Health Conditions Service pilot in 2023, and 88 per cent had their needs met at a pharmacy. We already know this model can work here.”