Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 November 2022
198. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the steps that his Department is taking the address the nationwide shortage of community pharmacists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58393/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you for your question. I understand that currently there are reports of a current workforce issue, particularly in relation to community pharmacy, and am aware of activities being undertaken by various stakeholders, as well as by my department to examine and mitigate this issue.
Pharmacists wishing to practise in Ireland must be registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI – the Pharmacy Regulator). The number of registered pharmacists on the Register of Pharmacists held and maintained by the PSI has continued to grow steadily, with an average increase of 187 registrants each year over the past five years. As of 1 November 2022, 6938 pharmacists were registered with the PSI, under established processes based in Irish and EU law.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the independent statutory regulator for pharmacists and pharmacies that operates under the aegis of my department, has been liaising with stakeholders, including the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), on efforts being taken within the sector to understand and address the issue. In February 2022, PSI met with a number of superintendent pharmacists and the IPU. The PSI also circulated a survey on behalf of the IPU to all registrants to support efforts to understand and address the issue in the short term. The fieldwork on the research was undertaken online by the IPU between 22 March and 8 April 2022, and resulted in the publication of a report by the IPU. My Department are liaising with the IPU and other stakeholders to assess and consider the recommendations therein and to take action as appropriate.
In developing its Corporate Strategy 2021-2023, the PSI was cognisant of the reports of an increasing risk to the continued availability of a pharmacist workforce. This highlighted a need to focus on community and hospital pharmacy, with a concern being that the issue might be exacerbated into the future. The PSI are currently undertaking a project, due to run across 2022-’23, titled ‘Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce’. This project is set to “assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland”.
The European Commission is also currently supporting a health and social care workforce planning strategy and action plan, a health and social care workforce planning model, health and social care workforce projections and gap analysis project. Support includes recommendations for health and social care workforce reforms.
This is a complex problem with many contributing factors and multiple stakeholders. Workforce challenges are being experienced in other sectors nationally, and in the community pharmacy sector in a range of other countries. However, robust data for Ireland 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 as our healthcare system evolves, and in the context of Sláintecare implementation.
I supported the inclusion of pharmacists on the critical skills occupations list and that Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, announced on the 20th June of this year changes made by Statutory Instrument to the employment permits system which includes adding the occupation of Pharmacist to the Critical Skills Occupations List. This means that Pharmacists are now eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit.
The Department is engaging with external stakeholders, including the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology to fully assess the reported issue of shortages in the pharmacist workforce and to identify any necessary actions to be taken in the short, medium and longer term, and will continue to do so. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) sought expressions of interest from higher education institutions interested in building capacity in a number of healthcare disciplines including Pharmacy, under a process designed to respond swiftly to national skills needs. The EOIs were sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in specified areas in academic years 2024-25 or 2025-26.
Pharmacy is a clinical service provided by highly qualified health care professionals within the community and hospital sectors, and I continue to recognise the key role played and the very significant contribution made by this sector to patients and the public.
