Eligible community pharmacies located in Adelaide's outer southern suburbs of Hallett Cove, Sheidow Park and Trott Park are being invited to submit their interest to become the state's fourth 24/7 pharmacy.
A tender has been released to eligible pharmacies in these suburbs with the service expansion to support the three existing 24/7 pharmacies located in northern, southern, and central Adelaide, providing South Australians with even broader access to round-the-clock healthcare.
Demand continues to be strong at the existing sites, with more than 170,000 people visiting the three 24/7 pharmacies during the extended opening hours since they began in February and March last year.
Together, the three pharmacies - Salisbury Plain Chemist Warehouse, Clovelly Park Chemist Warehouse and National Pharmacies at Norwood – have dispensed more than 69,000 scripts during their additional opening hours and taken more than 7,000 phone calls from people seeking advice.
The Malinauskas Labor Government has invested $2.5 million a year to enable the three 24/7 pharmacies to extend their operating hours, allowing South Australians to access timely medicines, health care and advice 24 hours a day, seven days per week, including public holidays.
With a pharmacist on site 24-hours-a-day, the state's 24/7 pharmacies help to reduce avoidable presentations to busy hospital emergency departments by providing access to medicines, health advice and professional pharmacy services when most other health services are unavailable. Consumer feedback indicates that around 20 per cent of customers would have visited an emergency department if the 24/7 pharmacy was not available.
The State Government is delivering a range of pharmacy initiatives to expand healthcare options for the community.
Work is currently underway to significantly extend pharmacists' scope of practice which will allow South Australians to attend a local pharmacy for treatment of a range of minor conditions including ear infections, wound management, gastrointestinal illnesses, skin conditions, and muscle and joint pain. This will boost access to fast, flexible healthcare with the services complementing those already available through other health providers including GPs.
This expands on the successful rollout of new pharmacy services that allow South Australian women to access medication for an uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) and a resupply of their oral contraceptive pill following a consultation with a trained community pharmacist.
South Australian community pharmacists have provided more than 6,200 consultations for women with symptoms of a UTI, providing timely access to critical therapies. Data shows this led to 21 per cent drop in UTI presentations to metropolitan hospitals from March to July compared to the same time the year before.
Applications from eligible pharmacies to become the fourth 24/7 pharmacy in SA close on 30 January 2025 at 2.00pm (ACDST).
As put by Chris Picton
We have seen strong demand for our existing 24/7 pharmacies with more than 170,000 people taking advantage of this valuable after-hours healthcare option.
The service offers convenience for South Australians and helps to reduce avoidable presentations to our busy hospitals.
This has been a game-changer for our state so we are pleased to be one step closer to introducing a fourth 24-hour pharmacy which will make this care easily accessible to even more South Australians.
We encourage pharmacies located in Hallett Cove, Trott Park and Sheidow Park to apply to help build on the success of our three existing locations.
As put by Alex Dighton
Having a 24-hour pharmacy in our region will offer so much convenience and peace of mind to my community.
People get sick at any time of day or night and having a pharmacy on our doorstep that never closes makes sense.
Whether it's to get Panadol in the middle of the night for a sick child, or to access prompt health advice from a trained pharmacist to avoid a hospital visit, I know that my community will be very grateful for this service.
As put by SA Health Chief Pharmacist Naomi Burgess
The success of the 24/7 pharmacies in South Australia is clear so we are pleased to be progressing to the next stage of introducing a fourth location.
The 24/7 pharmacies provide the community with access to medicines, expert advice and a range of services from a pharmacist round the clock, often providing care when other health professionals are not available.
Through the expanded scope of practice programs, the 24/7 pharmacists are now able to provide treatment for minor and uncomplicated conditions which complements the range of services offered by other health professionals and helps reduce pressure on our health system.
This 24/7 service offers peace of mind for people while helping to reduce demand on our busy emergency departments.
