Thank you for your question. In responding to your query, I have engaged with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the statutory regulatory authority responsible for the regulation of the practice and profession of pharmacy in this State.
As of 1 November 2022, there were 1,980 pharmacies registered with the PSI and named in the Register of Pharmacies. This Register is contemporaneous and there are changes to personnel updated on a daily basis. Of this number, there are currently just under 140 pharmacies having vacancies for supervising pharmacies (c. 7% of registered pharmacies). The PSI monitors the situation and vacancies on an ongoing basis with each pharmacy. PSI is also aware from its monitoring and engagement activities with those pharmacies, that these entities are involved in recruitment processes to fill the vacancies that have arisen. As part of its monitoring activity, PSI has established an escalation process to assure safety within pharmacies is being maintained where vacancies occur.
The requirement for all pharmacies to nominate a supervising pharmacist is provided for in section 28(b) of the Pharmacy Act 2007. This section requires that where the business is carried on by a corporate body:
“(b ) that, at the premises where the business is carried on or, if there are two or more of those premises, at each of them, there is a registered pharmacist who has a 3 years minimum post-registration experience in whole-time charge of the carrying on of the business there.’
This registered pharmacist is referred to as the supervising pharmacist. All pharmacies are also required to have in place a superintendent pharmacist, who must also have three years of post-registration experience and who is responsible for the overall professional policy and clinical management of a pharmacy. This person may hold this role for more than one pharmacy. It is also worth pointing out that from a patient safety perspective, a pharmacy may only legally be open if there is a registered pharmacist present on the premises.
The PSI as the regulator is currently undertaking a project examining ‘Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce’. This is a complex problem with many contributing factors, and multiple stakeholders, and the PSI project is taking a medium to long-term view of the matter. Workforce challenges are being experienced in other sectors nationally, and in the pharmacy sector in a range of other countries. The aim of the project is to gather robust data for Ireland, as this is needed to be able to determine the current landscape, assess future health system needs and understand existing sectoral challenges now and into the future. It will be on the basis of gathering and analysing this up-to-date, robust and relevant data, that recommendations can be proposed to address Ireland’s needs for a pharmacist workforce in the future, as Ireland’s healthcare system evolves, and in the context of Sláintecare implementation.
My officials will continue to liaise with PSI on developments relating to this important issue.
