David Cullinane
Ceist:690. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when he will commence talks with pharmacists on a new contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16964/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 21 July 2020
Ceisteanna (690, 766)
Michael Ring
Ceist:766. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health when negotiations on a new contract for pharmacists will commence; when the last meeting between his Department and pharmacists took place; when the next meeting between his Department and pharmacists will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17389/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 690 and 766 together.
Community pharmacy is recognised as the most accessible element of our health service with an unequalled reach in terms of patient contact and access. Therefore community pharmacists play a vital role in the Irish Health Service in the delivery of holistic patient care. I also fully acknowledge that community pharmacy has played a pivotal role in responding to the health needs of the public during the COVID-19 crisis. It is recognised that community pharmacists have ensured the continued availability of a professional, accessible service for the public and have successfully managed to alleviate the worries and concerns of the population around continuity of medicine supply in the face of great uncertainty.
This has been a period of unprecedented difficulty for the country and pharmacists have been at the forefront of the response. Accordingly, commitment has been given to commence a strategic review of the role of community pharmacists and to engage with the Irish Pharmaceutical Union to develop revised contractual terms. On 5 December 2019, my predecessor met with the Irish Pharmacy Union and communicated this intention.
The existing GMS pharmacy contract dates from 1996 and it is accepted that it is substantially outdated. It has not kept pace with developments that have taken place over the course of recent years including the increasing emphasis on maximising the proportion of people’s healthcare needs met in primary care, interdisciplinary collaboration and the skillset that pharmacists have by virtue of their education and training.
The comprehensive review of the pharmacy contract will address the role to be played by community pharmacy in the context of Sláintecare. It will consider all aspects of pharmacy service provision including delivery of a multi-disciplinary model of service delivery for patients, ensuring clarity of roles and achieving optimum value for money. However, any publicly funded pharmacy service expansion should address unmet public healthcare needs, improve access to existing public health services or provide better value for money or patient outcomes.
There has continued to be regular engagement with the IPU throughout the past number of months and a significant number of contingency measures have been put in place under the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Amendment Regulations, 2020, intended to relieve the pressures on community pharmacies and General Practitioners during the COVID-19 crisis.