Skip the GP and get Chemist Care Now
by SANDI MILLER
6th July 2026
THE VICTORIAN Government has rolled out a new way of obtaining some medicines without needing a prescription from your doctor.
There are over 850 pharmacies across Victoria, including Warrandyte Neighbourhood Pharmacy (formerly Terry White), participating in the Chemist Care Now program.
Adult women can now get a resupply of their oral contraceptive pill directly from their pharmacist with a free consultation.
It is also free to see a pharmacist to receive care for shingles, impetigo, resupply of treatment for flare-up of mild plaque psoriasis, uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI), and management of mild musculoskeletal pain.
Fees may apply for some pharmacy consultations outside the Chemist Care Now program.
David Cannalonga, pharmacist at Warrandyte Neighbourhood Pharmacy, said the program covers medicines as well as vaccinations on the national immunisation schedule.
Over the next two years, Chemist Care Now will grow to include 22 treatments for common health conditions — with participating pharmacists able to undertake short-form training to deliver each new service.
David said most of the consultations they have had to date have been for vaccinations.
“We also see some individuals for UTIs.”
David said that the program does have limitations, and some patients will still need to consult with their GP.
“The main blocker is age.
For example, for UTIs, we cannot treat females above 65 years.”
Pharmacists are required to undergo specialised training to be able to provide Chemist Care Now treatments and will follow clinical management protocols, which have been developed by the Department of Health.
David said Warrandyte Neighbourhood Pharmacy is still getting all its pharmacists trained and approved.
“At this time, we have one team member completely trained and another two partly completed.”
Patients will only need to pay for the cost of the medication at the counter.
Medication will not be dispensed under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), so some medications will be more expensive than with a prescription,
However, customers using the Chemist Care Now program will not have had to book and pay for a GP appointment.
David explained that the cost savings depend on the medicine being dispensed.
“The PBS threshold is $25 for general patients and $7.70 for concessions, so medicines that are above the threshold will attract a higher price without a prescription.
For concession patients, it will be more expensive to visit a pharmacy without a GP script, assuming their GP bulk bills.
For non-concession card patients, some of the contraceptive pills will be cheaper, but some will be more expensive; however, the majority of women would be on the cheaper contraceptives.
For UTIs, these antibiotics are reasonably cheap, and it will be the same price as with a prescription, as they are below the PBS threshold,”
The Diary asked David what to expect during a consultation.
“A qualified and trained pharmacist will review your condition and symptoms.
With that information, we can use the guidelines provided to us to either allow treatment with an S4 medicine or refer back to a GP if there are parameters outside of our guidelines, such as age or red flag symptoms.”
He said all consultations can be walk-in; alternatively, appointments for vaccinations can be made online.
He said that once all their pharmacists have been trained on all offerings, the pharmacy will enable online bookings, which is scheduled to happen within the next two months.
Since launching, Chemist Care Now has delivered almost 100,000 services across Victoria.
Visit neighbourhoodpharmacy.com.au to book an appointment for a vaccination, or drop in to the pharmacy to discuss your health needs.
