Expert Taskforce Established to Support Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy
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On 24 July 2023, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced the setting up of an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland, in a bid to reduce demand on GP's, hospitals and clinics.
The Expert Taskforce will consider and examine ways in which pharmacists can expand upon their present scope of practice for the benefit of patients and the wider health service, and will initially be tasked with considering options to enable pharmacists to extend prescriptions for a range of medicines and medical conditions where appropriate.
The Taskforce will also advise on a comprehensive approach to facilitate pharmacist prescribing which will include, but not be limited to, empowering pharmacists to assess and prescribe for common minor ailments within a community pharmacy setting and to use their expertise to operate as independent prescribers, making it easier and faster for patients to get the medication they need.
The Irish Pharmacy Union ("IPU") has welcomed the announcement, having campaigned for several years for an expansion in the role of community pharmacists. Mr Derek Reilly, interim Secretary General of the IPU stated "Community pharmacies are ready, willing, and able to do more for their patients. We warmly welcome the establishment of this taskforce, which will undoubtedly identify many opportunities to improve healthcare in our communities". However, Mr Reilly warned that fees paid to pharmacist, which are now lower than they were in 2009, will need to be addressed as a priority, highlighting the significant underfunding in the sector at present.
The taskforce will be chaired by Dr Pat O'Mahony, current Chair of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and of the Irish Medicines Verification Organisation (IMVO), and includes representatives from the HSE, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the Irish College of General Practitioners, as well as representatives from academic and training bodies.
The Taskforce has been asked to provide its first recommendations to the Minister as early as October 2023.
Read more about the Taskforce on the Department of Health here.
Written by Dena Keane and Charlotte Mooney.