Health News For South West


Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Ontario. Ministry of Health - [Toronto - University Avenue] - [Public Health Care]
Ontario Exploring More Ways to Expand Role of Pharmacists

Pharmacies provided over 1 million assessments for common ailments since last year, providing even more convenient care closer to home

The Ontario government is looking at additional innovative and creative ways to make pharmacies a one-stop-shop for people to conveniently connect to care, close to home by further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care. Starting today, the government is consulting with its partners on further expanding the ability of pharmacists to provide care by treating additional common ailments, administering more vaccines, and performing more point-of-care testing.

“Our government is continuing to expand our bold and innovative plan to make it easier for people to connect to the care they need, close to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Pharmacist prescribing has been a huge success in Ontario, and we are excited to work with our partners to help explore more opportunities to leverage pharmacies to connect people to care in Ontario, no matter where they live.”
 
Since January 2023, Ontario’s pharmacies have provided more than 1 million assessments to treat and prescribe for 19 common ailments such as cold sores, pink eye, insect bites and urinary tract infections. Over 4,600 pharmacies, or 99 per cent of all Ontario pharmacies, are now participating in the program, connecting people to care in every corner of the province.

Building on this success, Ontario is consulting on more ways to leverage the skills and expertise of pharmacists to continue making pharmacies a one-stop-shop for more convenient care closer to home, including:

  • treating and prescribing for 14 additional common ailments, such as sore throat, calluses and corns, mild headaches, shingles, and minor sleep disorders including insomnia
  • ordering specific laboratory tests and performing additional point-of-care tests such as strep throat testing, to make it faster and easier to assess and treat common ailments
  • administering additional publicly funded vaccines at pharmacies, including Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pneumococcal, and Shingles to increase access to care and save people a visit to the doctor’s office
  • allowing pharmacy technicians to administer additional vaccines, such as Hepatitis A and B, Rabies, Meningococcal, and Human Papillomavirus
  • identifying barriers in hospital settings that limit pharmacists from ordering certain laboratory and point-of-care tests, to make it easier for people to connect to care and reduce burden on nurses and doctors
  • improving the MedsCheck program to support health outcomes and reduce unnecessary service duplication and administrative red tape, while continuing to protect patient choice.

In addition to providing more convenience, allowing pharmacists to connect people with more care options at their local pharmacy will also give family doctors more time to help people with more complex needs. As with visiting a family physician or walk-in clinic, Ontarians can receive a prescription from a pharmacist for common ailments with just their Ontario health card. The cost of the medication being prescribed will continue to be paid for by people directly or through their drug benefits plan.

As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government is strengthening all aspects of the health care system, including making it easier for highly skilled, regulated health care professionals, like pharmacists to work to the full extent of their training and expertise to provide people more connected and convenient care.     
         
Quick Facts:

  • Pharmacy assessment of common ailments began in January 2023, with an initial 13 ailments, and was expanded in October 2023 to include 6 additional ailments.
  • More than 1 million assessments have been completed since allowing pharmacists to treat and prescribe for 19 common ailments, including pink eye, UTIs, and acne. More than 4,600 pharmacies (99 per cent) have participated in the program.
  • Recent changes by the province also allow pharmacists to administer certain injection and inhalation treatments so that they can better care for people who need help taking certain medications, such as insulin, vitamin B12, or osteoporosis treatment.
  • Anyone with symptoms should contact their local pharmacist to confirm whether they provide prescribing services for certain common ailments before visiting the pharmacy.
  • On July 1, 2022, regulatory amendments came into force under the Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Licensing Act, allowing pharmacy professionals to collect specimens and perform the following point-of-care tests for the purpose of medication management to treat chronic disease: Glucose, HbA1c, Lipids, and PT/INR.
  • Vaccines that are part of Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program are free if administered by a primary care provider or local public health unit. At this time, pending the consultation and implementation timing, patients who choose to receive vaccines in a pharmacy will need to pay for the vaccine and the administration, other than COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.
         
Quotes:

"The ongoing and expanded role of pharmacists is fundamental to delivering accessible, high-quality care for Ontarians. Pharmacists have consistently shown we can assess and treat common ailments, deliver vaccinations to help close vaccination gaps and improve health across our communities. Through innovative and future-oriented health education, pharmacy learners are trained and prepared to practice to our full scope alongside and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. We support the Government of Ontario for their commitment to expanding the scope of pharmacy professionals and strengthening Ontario's health care system."

- Lisa Dolovich, Dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

"We are pleased to support ongoing opportunities for pharmacy professionals to utilize their skills to deliver safe, quality and timely care that Ontarians want and deserve. Last year, OCP made recommendations to the Minister of Health to further expand the scope of practice of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians along with additional changes that would further strengthen the ability of pharmacy professionals to meet the needs of patients within an integrated healthcare system. Today’s announcement, including the focus on improving the valuable MedsCheck program, is great news and an important step towards more effective delivery of safe, quality care for all Ontarians."

- James Morrison, Board Chair, Ontario College of Pharmacists

"Thanks to the Government of Ontario's investment in the pharmacy sector through programs like the assessment and treatment of minor ailments, communities have trusted their local pharmacy teams to deliver the high-quality care they need and deserve. As Ontarians seek accessible and convenient ways to access care, Ontario's pharmacy professionals are ready with the knowledge and expertise to safely and effectively do more to meet their healthcare needs in a setting of their choice. The Ontario Pharmacists Association thanks the Government of Ontario for their continued investment in pharmacy delivered care and looks forward to continuing our strong collaboration to ensure that care is always available when and where Ontarians need it most."

- Justin Bates, CEO, Ontario Pharmacists Association

"We are delighted to see the Ontario government recognize the immense value of pharmacy-led primary care by expanding the minor ailments program, as well as, authorizing lab test orders and point-of-care test administration at local pharmacies. With over 1 million minor assessments conducted since 2023, it is evident that accessing healthcare close to home via local pharmacies is improving the health of Ontarians. We are also thrilled to see the expansion of publicly funded vaccines offered in pharmacies, which we have long advocated for and will significantly enhance public health outcomes in the province. We look forward to continued collaboration to further develop pharmacies as community health hubs, ensuring timely and equitable care for everyone in the province."

- Sandra Hanna, CEO, Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada    
         
Additional Resources:

         
Media Contacts:

Hannah Jensen
Minister Jones’ Office
Hannah.R.Jensen@ontario.ca

Anna Miller
Communications Branch
media.moh@ontario.ca
416-314-6197

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