Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator O’Loughlin for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.

The Minister is fully committed to any and all actions, underpinned by meaningful engagement, that might mitigate any challenges arising in the context of health workforce availability. The Senator has outlined the various challenges affecting pharmacies in particular, which are an essential service. Pharmacists are required on-site at all times to provide the service. I am taken aback to hear of a bidding war for locums and the rates being paid. It would be far more lucrative to be on the WhatsApp group panel than having a full-time job from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The invaluable contribution of the pharmacy sector and professional pharmacists over the last two years in an extremely challenging environment reinforced the importance of pharmacists in the healthcare system as a whole and the contribution made to patient and public health on a daily basis. The regulation of pharmacists in Ireland is provided for under the Pharmacy Act 2007, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, PSI, is charged with carrying out this role. The oversight and governance of the regulator is a matter for the Department of Health and my officials have engaged on the matter raised.

It is the Minister's understanding that the regulator is cognisant of reports of challenges that may be emerging in the availability of a pharmacist workforce. The PSI's corporate strategy for 2021 to 2023 contains an action for the PSI to "take steps to identify and mitigate risks to the continued availability of the professional pharmacist workforce, particularly within the community pharmacy sector". This has materialised as the PSI's Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce project, which is a multi-annual project due to run across 2022 and 2023.

In the PSI’s 2022 service plan, the project is set to "assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland", with this work currently at the scoping and planning stage. The Senator identified the issue and we cannot stand back. This process must be expedited. The PSI is to convene an expert stakeholder advisory group to advise and inform at key phases throughout the course of the project as to the key risks which are affecting and could affect the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce. It will also make an input into proposed strategies to address these. It is expected that proposals for the necessary next steps will be brought to the PSI council by the end of 2022.

That would be a welcome opportunity for the PSI to identify the gaps outlined by the Senator, including shortfalls in university places and opportunities for a technician to upskill. Perhaps that is something we can consider within higher education or the apprenticeship model. Ultimately, a pharmacist is legally required to be on-site and the doors cannot open otherwise. We do not want pharmacies closing in rural towns and villages because they cannot get a workforce. We certainly do not want people leaving hospital settings to be on a particular panel where they can choose their own hours and where to work.

The Senator has provided a shortcut for the PSI. The stakeholder group could start working as soon as possible. Perhaps it could lead to us having a proper plan even for next year's school setting.