Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot
On 15 March 2024, the Hon Shannon Fentiman, Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services and Minister for Women announced the nation-first Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot (the Pilot). The Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot is a new service being piloted in participating Queensland community pharmacies from July 2024. You may be eligible for this service if you are a woman aged 16 and older and meet other eligibility requirements.
Your participating community pharmacist has completed at least five years of education and training, a compulsory training course to participate in this Pilot service, and undertakes mandatory continuing professional development annually, meaning you are in good hands. Visiting your community pharmacist is also more accessible, with up to 97% of people in capital cities living within 2.5km of a community pharmacy, which they visit an average of 18 times per year1. Plus, most community pharmacies are open in the evenings and on weekends, and you may not even need an appointment to see the pharmacist.
Your community pharmacist can consult with you about your contraception needs and help you determine the best management plan for you, which may include a hormonal contraceptive. This option may include prescribing a treatment, providing a referral to a medical practitioner for further review or both.
The consultation fee with your community pharmacist will range from $18.85 to $68.10 depending on the length of the consultation. Speak to your community pharmacist to discuss this service further.
| Consultation | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Consultation | <10 minutes | $18.85 |
| Standard Consultation | Between 10 to 20 minutes | $34.45 |
| Long Consultation | >20 minutes | $68.10 |
*Medicare rebates are not eligible under the Pilot
*Pilot prescriptions not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
How can community pharmacists enhance your access to hormonal contraceptives?
Authorised community pharmacists being able to prescribe a range of hormonal contraceptives which gives Queenslander’s access to convenient reproductive health care at one of the hundreds of community pharmacies across Queensland.
Further information about the Community Pharmacy Hormonal Contraception Pilot will be available in the coming months
FAQs
This service is available now for patients who are living in areas that have a community pharmacist participating in the Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot and are qualified to provide hormonal contraceptive services. Find a pharmacy near you by searching Full Scope of Practice Pilot as a service through Find a Pharmacy.
More community pharmacists will be offering this service from July 2024. Please continue to check this page to find a participating community pharmacy near you.
Hormonal contraception is a method of birth control that involves taking hormones to prevent pregnancy These hormones work to stop pregnancy by preventing the release of eggs from the ovaries (oestrogen) and/or thickening the cervical mucus making it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus (progestogen).
Under the Pilot program, the duration of the consultation is based on the nature and complexity of the treatment being provided. This determines the consultation fee outlined in the table below and set by Queensland Health. If you’re still unsure, contact your community pharmacy to discuss the service further.
| Consultation | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Consultation | <10 minutes | $18.85 |
| Standard Consultation | Between 10 to 20 minutes | $34.45 |
| Long Consultation | >20 minutes | $68.10 |
1. 18 average visits to community pharmacies is a reference from the Pharmacy Guild of Queensland Vital Facts sheet.