Corporate Strategy 2018-2020 published by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (the “PSI”) recently published its Corporate Strategy for 2018-2020 (the “Strategy”), the core objective of which is to ‘assure public trust in pharmacy through effective regulation.’ The Strategy has been developed in consultation with the PSI’s stakeholders including PSI Registrants, patients and healthcare advocates, the Department of Health, the HSE, members of the public, representative organisations, the Council of the PSI and... The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (the “PSI”) recently published its Corporate Strategy for 2018-2020 (the “Strategy”), the core objective of which is to ‘assure public trust in pharmacy through effective regulation.’                                                       The Strategy has been developed in consultation with the PSI’s stakeholders including PSI Registrants, patients and healthcare advocates, the Department of Health, the HSE, members of the public, representative organisations, the Council of the PSI and Committee members and PSI staff. By adopting a strongly collaborative approach throughout the Strategy, the PSI is ‘committing to create new opportunities and develop new relationships with PSI registrants, to advocate for effective and meaningful patient care and quality health services, and to work with all who are committed to improvement within the wider health, policy and regulatory community.’ The Strategy also sets out the development agenda for the organisation over the next three years. It provides various actions which the PSI will take to ensure its work provides ongoing assurance to the public as to the safety and reliability of both pharmacists’ practice and the operation of pharmacy services. In developing the Strategy, the PSI has considered various current and future opportunities and challenges. The PSI has carefully analysed the implications of these as it defines its strategic direction and regulatory approach for the coming three years. The Strategy sets out a detailed summary of the PSI’s analysis across six key areas of its current and anticipated future operating environment. The six key areas are as follows:

1. Changing Health Landscape and Patient Need;
2. Technology and Society;
3. European Union and International Developments;
4. The PSI’s Regulatory Approach and Accountability;
5. Funding and Resourcing;
6. Working and Communicating with Others.

Alongside the central goal of assuring trust in the pharmacy profession through effective regulation, the Strategy also sets out four strategic results areas under which the PSI will deliver specific results and, when taken together, will see the PSI progress towards this central goal. The four strategic results areas are as follows:

1. Promoting Professionalism and Quality in Pharmacy;
2. Impacting through Deeper Collaboration and Engagement;
3. Regulating Effectively for Better Health Outcomes and Patient Safety;
4. Building an Effective Organisation and Benchmarking Performance.

The Strategy will be implemented over three years from January 2018 to December 2020. Progress will be monitored on an ongoing basis through oversight arrangements and will be reported to the Council of the PSI at each of its meetings. Full details will also be published in each year’s Annual Report. The PSI Corporate Strategy 2018-2020 can be accessed online here.