Registration with ScriptCheckWA will be mandatory by 12 June 2025 for all health practitioners who prescribe or dispense a Monitored Medicine. ScriptCheckWA will show all prescriptions dispensed at pharmacies in Western Australia for both Schedule 4 Monitored Medicines and Schedule 8 medicines.
Pharmacists who have not yet registered with ScriptCheckWA are encouraged to register ahead of the six month deadline via the Practitioner Self-Registration Portal.
Is the use of ScriptCheckWA mandatory?
While the use of ScriptCheckWA is not mandated, all prescribers and pharmacists are strongly encouraged to use real time prescription monitoring to identify risks and determine the clinical appropriateness of prescribing or dispensing a Monitored Medicine.
PDL is focused on supporting members to understand new regulatory requirements and identify areas of potential risk in pharmacy practice. The pop-up warnings in dispensing software in ScriptCheckWA act as a guide only. An alert does not mean a pharmacist is prevented from dispensing a Monitored Medicine – it means a clinical risk has been identified and pharmacists should review the information in ScriptCheckWA. Pharmacists are to use their own clinical judgment in each situation. Some integrated software products will direct the pharmacist to the online portal when they click on the alert.
The 2023 PDL Practice Alert ‘ScriptCheckWA registration and support materials‘ is a useful resource to members.
What medicines are monitored in ScriptCheckWA?
Schedule 8 medicines including:
- Opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, and tapentadol
- Stimulant medicines such as dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate
- Alprazolam and flunitrazepam
- Medicinal cannabis products that contain THC
- Methadone and buprenorphine used for opioid substitution therapy
Schedule 4 Monitored Medicines including:
- Benzodiazepines in Schedule 4
- Gabapentin
- Pregabalin
- Codeine-based analgesics in Schedule 4
- Quetiapine
- Tramadol
- Zolpidem
- Zopiclone
Circumstances when accessing a patient record in ScriptCheckWA is permitted
Patient records in ScriptCheckWA are confidential and can only be lawfully accessed by health practitioners involved in the patient’s medical care, specifically in the context of Monitored Medicines. A log is created each time a registered user views a patient’s record in ScriptCheckWA, with multi-factor authentication required by the user. Health practitioners are advised to familiarise themselves with the Terms and Conditions when using ScriptCheckWA.
The following circumstances are examples of when accessing patient records in ScriptCheckWA would be permitted by law:
- When prescribing, administering or supplying a medicine to the patient.
- When reviewing the patient’s medication history as part of a patient consultation.
- When discussing the patient’s medication history with other registered health practitioners who are involved in the patient’s care.
ScriptCheckWA learning modules
PDL encourages all pharmacists registered with ScriptCheckWA to complete the learning modules to ensure the system is used to support clinical decision making.
Amendments to the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016
WA pharmacists are urged to be aware of the amendments to the Medicines and Poisons Regulations 2016 that commenced on 12 December 2024, as summarised below:
1. Record the patient’s date of birth (DOB)
All prescriptions for Schedule 4 and 8 medicines will require the patient’s DOB. However, if the prescriber has omitted the patient’s DOB for a Schedule 4 prescription pharmacists may still dispense the medicine, provided they take reasonable steps to verify the DOB. For example, sighting photo identification with a date of birth or using the date of birth recorded in the dispensing system prior to dispensing the medicine.
2. Changes for transfer of paper-based Schedule 8 prescription repeats
Approval from the Department of Health is no longer required to transfer Schedule 8 paper-based prescription repeats to another pharmacy.
The Medicines and Poisons Regulation Branch provides the following guidance:
- Repeat prescriptions must not be returned to the patient when a transfer to a new pharmacy is requested.
- Alert the new pharmacy of the expected transfer.
- Post the repeats to the new pharmacy, keeping a record of the pharmacy’s address to which the prescription was transferred.
- If posting to another state or territory, contact the receiving interstate pharmacy to confirm they will accept the prescription transfer.
- Be aware that not all prescriptions may be honoured in other states and territories.
3. Dispensing of interstate prescriptions
Except for prescriptions for opioid substitution therapy, all valid Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 prescriptions issued by interstate prescribers may be dispensed in Western Australia.
To be valid in WA, prescriptions issued by interstate prescribers must contain all the information normally required by the WA Medicines and Poisons legislation and be issued by a health practitioner authorised under the WA Medicines and Poisons legislation.
Interstate Schedule 8 prescriptions must include the patient’s date of birth, exact repeat intervals and precise directions for use, generated by the prescriber.
Pharmacists must still take reasonable steps to verify the authenticity of paper-based prescriptions (handwritten and computer-generated Schedule 8 prescriptions) from both interstate and WA prescribers. This applies even if the patient presents a repeat prescription, as not all states and territories require paper-based repeats to be retained at a dispensing pharmacy.
4. Prescriber’s signature on handwritten and computer-generated prescriptions
All paper-based prescriptions must be signed in ink by the prescriber. Other forms of the prescriber’s signature, such as a digital image of their signature are not permitted.
A summary of the amendments to the Medicines and Poisons Regulations is available online.
PDL encourages pharmacists to subscribe to Medicines and Poisons Regulation Branch Pharmacy Updates.
Under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2014 prescribers are prohibited from prescribing drugs of addiction for themselves. This includes all Schedule 8 medicines and Schedule 4 Monitored Medicines.
PDL encourages pharmacists to use their professional judgement when handling prescriptions where a prescriber has prescribed for family, friends, or those with a close personal relationship with the prescriber.
PDL members can call 1300 854 838 for advice and incident support from one of our Professional Officers. Supporting our pharmacist members 24/7.
