Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Senator Seery Kearney for raising this important matter. The Minister recognises the role community pharmacists play in the delivery of patient care. Community pharmacy is often the most accessible avenue to receiving such care and provides a vital link in our healthcare service by ensuring the safe supply of medicines to people. Medicines are the most common healthcare intervention, and the use and complexity of medicines are increasing. Pharmacists are the healthcare professionals optimally placed by virtue of their training to ensure the rational and safe use of medicines by patients.

The Minister also acknowledges the vital role community pharmacy will play in the development and implementation of future healthcare service reform, especially with regard to the aims and vision of Sláintecare. The focus of Sláintecare is to develop primary and community care that makes it possible for people to stay healthy in their homes and communities for as long as possible. The Department is open to exploring any evidence-based and appropriately governed services delivered by appropriately trained professionals which will support this aim. In that regard, various approaches to extending the scope of practice of community pharmacists are being progressed by the Department. This includes the introduction of a minor ailment scheme and an enhanced role for pharmacists in the current contraception scheme for women. The implementation of these necessitates engagement with a wide range of stakeholders and full consideration of all the relevant legislative and operational issues involved.

The Department recognises the need for the availability and retention of pharmacists so that pharmacy may continue to meet patient needs and play a full role in the development of an integrated healthcare service. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland is undertaking a project which aims to assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland. This will inform how and where pharmacists are working, examine their perceptions of the sector and identify barriers to choosing to work in patient-facing roles.

The regulations governing the pharmacy fee structure are set out in the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 and in SI 639 of 2019, the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 (Payments to Community Pharmacy Contractors) Regulations 2019, which put the current fee structure in place with effect from 1 January 2020. Under section 42 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017, the pharmacy fee structure must be reviewed every third year after 2020. The Department is currently carrying out a review and Department officials held a meeting with the Irish Pharmacy Union in that regard on 20 June 2023.

The Minister believes there is a real opportunity to work collaboratively with community pharmacists and with other healthcare providers to make a significant difference to patient outcomes. Of course, any publicly funded pharmacy service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs, improve access to existing public health services and provide better value for money.