Community & Business
12 January, 2026
Pharmacist's new role to ease local access to healthcare
Pharmacist Shauna Jones hopes her new qualification, which enables her to prescribe medication, will improve patients’ ability to access healthcare in Pittsworth and surrounding areas.
Ms Jones completed a 12 month Graduate Certificate of Advanced Practice and Prescribing for Pharmacists which has equipped her with the necessary skills to broaden the services offered by Cains Pharmacy, and potentially transform our access to local healthcare.
This new service is in no way a replacement of General Practitioners but supplements their work to ensure the best medical care for every patient.
Although this service will not be the right fit for everyone, it will ideally suit those who don’t have the need for a regular GP.
Ms Jones said she was excited to take on this new role which will hopefully reduce pressure on rural physicians, while improving patient access to essential services.
There are clear guidelines as to what cannot be treated by Ms Jones but she is able to assist with minor acute conditions such as school sores and ear infections, and also prescribe contraceptive medication.
“Throughout my time as a pharmacist, I’ve seen a number of women who haven’t been able to get a doctor’s appointment to renew their contraception script in time, which is something we can help with now too,” she said.
Furthermore, Ms Jones can assist with treatments for some chronic conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and blood pressure concerns.
A consultation at Cains Pharmacy with Ms Jones, and any prescriptions supplied by her, would not be covered under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and be at full cost to the patient.
Proprietor of the Pittsworth Medical Centre, Dr David Reid, congratulated Ms Jones on her achievement but said there are concerns with this fragmentation of healthcare.
“Continuity of care is best practice for all patients who need medical care,” Dr Reid said.
“In addition, there is concern of involvement in litigation in situations where a patient has had treatment initiated or continued by a Pharmacist and the GP is then involved in an issue that has become more complex.”
From a non-clinical point of view, Practice Manager, Carol Smidt, said the medical centre is constantly inundated with patients, particularly those who need same-day script renewals.
Ms Smidt said Cains Pharmacy is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the local community, and always strives to work in close collaboration with their team to ensure patients are well cared for if appointments are not readily available to see a doctor.
“We appreciate and thank them for that support,” Ms Smidt said.
In the Australian Government Productivity Commission and the Queensland Government report Unleashing the potential: an open and equitable health system, it was identified that using pharmacists and other health professionals to their full scope of practice is an efficient and effective way to improve access to healthcare delivery and lessen the impact of workforce shortages and distribution problems, particularly in regional and rural communities.
In 2022, the Queensland Government worked to design and implement a pilot of pharmacists practicing to their full scope in Northern Queensland.
In September 2023, the pilot expanded to the entire state before the Queensland Community Pharmacy Scope of Practice Pilot officially launched in April 2024.
Ms Jones was in the fourth intake, among more than 150 pharmacists to complete the certificate.
Her career as a pharmacist began in 2008 as an intern in Jandowae, followed by a stint in Toowoomba, and now Pittsworth.
Ms Jones has been at Cains Pharmacy for the past three years, and said it’s the warm and welcoming community of Pittsworth that makes coming to work each day truly rewarding.
