{"id":560403,"date":"2026-08-06T03:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T03:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/560403\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T03:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T03:32:08","slug":"act-promises-to-let-pharmacists-treat-more-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/560403\/","title":{"rendered":"Act promises to let pharmacists treat more conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPharmacists have the capacity, the need, and the proximity. All that\u2019s missing is permission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The move would expand the Minor Ailments Scheme, which governs the conditions pharmacists can be trained to assess and treat, to include: <\/p>\n

Throat and ENT:\u00a0acute sore throatSkin and eyes:\u00a0school sores (impetigo), styeEar, nose and throat:\u00a0tonsillitis and acute sore throat;Musculoskeletal and pain:\u00a0gout, osteoarthritis;Sexual and reproductive health:\u00a0vaginal thrush; chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing (self-swab kits), period pain;Blood tests:\u00a0pharmacists would be able to order appropriate blood tests directly, at a patient\u2019s request or where they identify a clinical need.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery condition will include a clear protocol for when patients need to be referred to a GP or specialist,\u201d Seymour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctors still have an important role here, but Act will make sure that for cases a pharmacist can handle, you don\u2019t have to wait two weeks to get help. <\/p>\n

\u201cConsultation fees will stay capped at $20 for most patients and $5 for Community Services Card holders. The Government funds the balance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Act said it would allow accredited pharmacists to provide funded annual medication reviews for stable patients, order the standard blood tests needed to monitor treatment, and adjust doses within clear, GP-set clinical limits for patients with stable hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol.<\/p>\n

The party would also introduce a pharmacy-based skin-concern service for diagnosing skin cancer.<\/p>\n

Trained pharmacists would record relevant risk factors and take high-quality dermatoscope images, using technology to help identify concerning changes over time. Patients who meet clear risk thresholds would be referred to a GP or specialist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a full diagnosis service, but it would give people \u2013 especially in rural communities \u2013 a place to have a concern taken seriously and acted on quickly,\u201d Seymour said.<\/p>\n

The policy would also change rules to allow more pharmacies to open.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe five-pharmacy ownership cap \u2013 a restriction the Government\u2019s own October 2025 Regulatory Impact Statement admits is \u2018not being meaningfully followed\u2019 \u2013 will be explicitly removed.<\/p>\n

\u201cProximity requirements that block new pharmacies from opening near existing ones will also go. Any pharmacy that meets safety and quality standards should be able to open,\u201d Seymour said. <\/p>\n

\u201cPharmacy licence renewals will move from annual to five-yearly after the first year, saving pharmacists $1000 in compliance costs each year and freeing them to focus on patients, not paperwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cPharmacy accuracy checking technicians will be allowed to transfer between pharmacies without having to sit a new course, making it easier for pharmacies, especially in smaller communities, to attract and retain staff.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cPharmacists have the capacity, the need, and the proximity. All that\u2019s missing is permission,\u201d he said. The move…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[542,4619,536,8278,5903,134,527,29309,130,111,139,69,4762,14373,30503,15483,61,3257,267236,6202],"class_list":["post-560403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-access","tag-act","tag-care","tag-conditions","tag-election","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-let","tag-more","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-party","tag-pharmacists","tag-promises","tag-promising","tag-to","tag-treat","tag-widening","tag-wins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}