Patricia Ryan
Ceist:1459. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health his plans to implement a new community pharmacy contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33832/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 3 November 2020
Ceisteanna (1459, 1460)
Patricia Ryan
Ceist:1460. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend the scope of pharmacy practice to include chronic disease management services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33833/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1459 and 1460 together.
I value the important role community pharmacists play in our Irish Health Service in the delivery of holistic patient care. In particular, I 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.
The existing GMS pharmacy contract dates from 1996 and I accept that it is substantially outdated.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. Patient safety and value-for-money considerations have also assumed increasing importance.
Accordingly, the programme for Government contains a commitment to commence talks with pharmacists on a new contract which will enhance their role in the delivery of healthcare in the community.
The comprehensive review of the pharmacy contract will address the role to be played by community pharmacy in the context of Sláintecare. 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.
My Department officials and the HSE initiated work earlier this year to prepare for engagement with the Irish Pharmaceutical Union on contractual reform. However, the disruption and reprioritisation arising from the Covid-19 pandemic meant that this work could not be progressed in a meaningful way. It is anticipated that talks will commence in 2021.
In the context of Covid-19, there has been regular engagement with the Irish Pharmacy Union (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. There has also been recent engagement with the IPU on pharmacists’ participation in the extended flu vaccination programme.
The HSE has established a contingency planning working group with the IPU and Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland to support the implementation of all COVID-19 support measures. The Group’s primary role is to examine the operational and clinical challenges confronting community pharmacists during the COVID-19 emergency.
This working group also represents an opportunity to discuss the strategic direction of the profession which will be valuable in the context of contractual reform in 2021.