A leading doctor appointed to advise the NSW Government on expanded pharmacist prescribing has quit, saying that his expert group’s safety concerns have been repeatedly brushed aside despite the potential threat to patients.

It comes days after NSW Premier Chris Minns stood before the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and announced pharmacists would, in a new trial, be allowed to prescribe and treat for ear infections and wounds along with a greater role in managing chronic conditions. 

Saying he was also looking at pharmacists diagnosing, prescribing and supplying medications for mild asthma and antivirals in aged care, he then thanked “his great friends from the guild”, adding he would “not back down” from his pharmacy reforms when faced by those who “had an interest in the status quo”. 

It has now emerged that last month Dr David Leaf resigned from NSW Health’s expert advisory group on Expanded Scope Community Pharmacy Services, claiming that he and other doctors raised safety concerns in meetings and in writing, only to see them ignored.