Health and Social Care has said that pharmacists could be given the power to issue repeat prescriptions in the future, as concerns grow over the high costs of seeing a doctor in Guernsey.
Deputy Andy Cameron raised the issue with HSC earlier this year when the cost of a 10 minute appointment to see a doctor went over £70 at some of the island’s surgeries.
Healthcare Group now charges £69 per appointment, Island Health charges £72, and Queens Road Medical Practice charges £70.50 if you pay on the day.
Each of those prices is with the States subsidy of £12 already removed from the cost.
Deputy Cameron said he was concerned about these “prohibitively high” prices – especially when some appointments may be booked for simple matters such as securing a repeat prescriptions.
He used the Rule 14 mechanism to ask HSC whether any changes can be made for patients who need repeat prescriptions.
“The cost of seeing a GP in Guernsey is already prohibitively high, with many islanders
struggling to afford the £70 appointment fee,” he wrote.
“In other jurisdictions, pharmacists can directly provide repeat prescriptions for medications related to cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and more – reducing unnecessary costs and easing GP workloads.
“Given that Guernsey continues to charge patients for repeat prescriptions, adding further financial strain, why has HSC not implemented a pharmacist-led repeat prescription system similar to those successfully used elsewhere?”
HSC said any changes to the current system would come under a programme of “primary care and pharmacy reform”.
That has been included in the Government Work Plan 2025-29 so it may be taken forward by the next Committee, to be appointed after the June election.
“Prescriptions can currently be issued for up to six months by a General Practitioner and in
many cases it is beneficial for a medical review to be undertaken before repeat prescriptions can be issued further,” explained HSC.
“However, the Committee has previously considered and supported recommendations to further explore changes which might benefit patients with regards to repeat prescriptions.
“Some provisional scoping has been undertaken but the substantive policy, contractual and
legislative changes required to facilitate such changes, and the associated funding, will be
explored as part of the strategic portfolio for sustainable health and care in the Government Work Plan 2025-29.
“The Committee remains supportive of primary care and pharmacy reform, which could see an expansion of services provided by community pharmacies such as repeat prescribing and treatment of common conditions, among other things.”