Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies. I was pleased to bring these amendments forward today. As was said earlier, pharmacists are an easily accessible, highly trained and regulated valuable health resource. The value and capability they bring has been clearly evidenced in the role they played throughout the pandemic, ensuring continuity of patient care and helping to maximise access to vaccinations. Patients value the expertise of pharmacists and trust in pharmacists is at an all-time high. The Minister appointed the expert task force on the expansion of the role of pharmacy, which began its work at the end of August 2023. Its final report will contain recommendations on a range of prescribing activities which could be performed by pharmacists. The report will be finalised in early July for submission to the Minister for Health. It will provide a much-needed advice base for the expansion of the role of pharmacy and help give practical effect to expanding the role of pharmacists. Its recommendations are not confined to prescribing for common conditions in community pharmacies, but anticipating this recommendation, and given the ambitions we hold for pharmacy, it was appropriate to progress this at this time so we may move forward at pace. There is much more work to be done to further develop these plans and to develop the full potential of pharmacists, but this is an important step forward and a truly significant day for the profession of pharmacy. We look forward to more developments in the near future. I thank Members for their co-operation. It is much appreciated.

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