Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
674. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if his Department has investigated the reason that fewer young pharmacists appear to be going into community practice; if any studies are ongoing in relation to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34958/23]
View answerThank you for your question. Firstly, I appreciate the value and importance of pharmacists and pharmacies in conserving, protecting and enhancing the health of our citizens. Pharmacists are experts in medicines, and are trained nationally to Masters level, undertaking an integrated training programme which is designed to enable future pharmacists to better meet the changing needs of the healthcare system in Ireland. The integrated training means all students have the opportunity to gain experience in community, hospital and industrial pharmacy, offering insights into various practice settings and enhanced career opportunities.
While the Department has not directly undertaken a review of the practice areas of registered pharmacist it is aware of certain pertinent ongoing work. The Emerging Risks to Pharmacy Workforce project, a multi-annual project commenced by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland to assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland is relevant.
A working group was established as part of the project, involving Department of Health, HSE, PSI, academia and pharmacy representative organisations, in acknowledgement of the fact that strategic workforce planning for pharmacy can only be achieved if it has input and commitment from stakeholders from across the wider health system. Four meetings of the group were held over a six-month period.
Four project deliverables were delivered with support from Grant Thornton – literature review, workforce survey, focus groups, culminating in a Workforce Intelligence Report. This report was approved by the PSI Council at its June 2023 meeting. It is my understanding that this will be officially launched in the autumn and published on the PSI website.
I have been informed that the analysis conducted as part of the project did not indicate that fewer early career pharmacists are entering community pharmacy practice, with 73% of all pharmacists working in the community pharmacy setting (either as their sole role, or as one of multiple roles). Four out of five of the fifth year pharmacy students who responded to the survey indicated their intention to enter patient-facing practice upon registration (i.e., in either community or hospital practice). However, the data gathered as part of this project established a baseline view, and trends over time will need to be measured via future surveys to understand if the proportion of the register working in community pharmacy increases, decreases or remains static.
