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\n 1300 MEDICINE takes around 900 calls every month on average.
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\n News<\/p>\n
\n With the 1300 MEDICINE helpline shutting down on 30 July, GPs must engage with patients to ensure \u2018nobody falls through any gaps\u2019.
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\n 1300 MEDICINE takes around 900 calls every month on average.
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newsGP weekly poll
\n A telephone line to advise consumers about medications will close when its current funding agreement ends on 30 July, the Federal Government has announced<\/a>.\u00a0
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\nThere will be no replacement service for the Consumer Medicines Line, 1300 MEDICINE, which is staffed by pharmacists to answer patients\u2019 medicine-related questions, as well as pass on reports of adverse reactions to medications and vaccines.
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\nAccording to a Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) spokesperson, the phoneline took an average of 900 calls each month from July 2024 to May 2026.
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\nThey said the level of calls ranged from 7000 to 10,000 annually over the past decade, peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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\n\u2018Closure of the Consumer Medicines Line reflects a broader approach to strengthening primary care and supporting consumers to receive advice about medicines through their usual healthcare professional, such as their community pharmacist, general practitioner, nurse practitioner or midwife,\u2019 they told newsGP.
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\n\u2018These providers are best placed to give advice that is informed by a person\u2019s medical history and broader care needs.\u2019
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\nThe Government added that there is \u2018now a wide range of trusted and high-quality supports available to help people safely and confidently manage their medicines\u2019.
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\nDr Michael Bonning, Deputy Chair of the RACGP Expert Committee \u2013 Funding and Health System Reform, said medicine-related questions are \u2018best answered by someone who knows your medical history\u2019.\u00a0
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\n\u2018A standalone phone line was never going to be the strongest model of care,\u2019 he told newsGP. \u00a0
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\n\u2018As people\u2019s medication needs change it is important that the services that support them best meet those needs.
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\n\u2018The Consumer Medicines Line has been a genuine help to a small group of Australians who didn\u2019t always know where else to turn with a question about their medicines.
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\n\u2018We need to make sure that those people are thought about as the service closes down.
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\n\u2018The work, once again, for the profession is making sure nobody falls through any gaps caused when an established service shuts down.\u2019
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\nThe phoneline was previously operated by NPS MedicineWise, which closed in December 2022 after the Government removed funding<\/a>.\u00a0
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\nSince January 2023 the phoneline has been run by Australian Healthcare Associates, a large Melbourne-based health services consulting firm, after it won an open tender process.
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\nThe contract has cost $6.38 million<\/a> over slightly more than three and a half years.
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\nDoHDA said patients will be directed to other services<\/a>, including 1800 MEDICARE, once the Consumer Medicines Line closes next month.
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\nIt also noted that side effects and issues with medicines or vaccines can still be reported directly to the TGA<\/a>.
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\n adverse events<\/a> medications<\/a> pharmacists<\/a>
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\n How comfortable do you feel in your ability to help patients requiring disability care and management?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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