President of the Pharmacy Guild, NSW Branch, Mario Barone, said NSW families deserve timely access to care, and community pharmacists are ready to step up across NSW.
“Allowing community pharmacists to work at their full scope of practice is an effective way to free up hospital beds, reduce emergency department wait times, and deliver better health outcomes for our communities,” Mr Barone said.
A new report from Deloitte Access Economics has found expanded community pharmacy services could free up 191,974 hospital bed days, save 81,129 hours of Emergency Department wait time during regular hours, and avoid 156,647 outpatient service events each year.
The total annual acute and subacute healthcare system capacity expansion benefit could reach $158.4 million, with a further $719.3 million in quality of life improvements for NSW families.
This economic evidence is backed by strong public support. Recent polling conducted by Insightfully in November 2025 shows 9 out of 10 NSW voters want pharmacists to play a bigger role in frontline care, helping to ease hospital pressures and improve access to essential health services.
By unlocking the full scope of pharmacist practice, NSW can divert thousands of patients from emergency departments and hospital beds to accessible, community-based care, reducing wait times and freeing up critical resources for those with greater clinical needs.
“The NSW Government has made great progress in allowing community pharmacists to treat conditions such as UTIs and a range of skin conditions,” Mr Barone said.
“This research shows that there is a great opportunity for community pharmacy to do even more. Allowing pharmacists to work to their full scope can help reduce bed block, deliver high quality health outcomes, and expand the capacity of our health system.”