Written answers
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Department of Health
Pharmacy Regulations
Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Health the number of pharmacists the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland inspected in 2011 and 2012 and to date in 2013; the number of pharmacies that were asked for a random sample of prescriptions for inspections; the average number of prescriptions requested during an inspection and of the sample requested the number of pharmacies that were either unable to provide a copy of the prescription requested or had some regulatory defect with the prescriptions dispensed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9871/13]
Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) carries out inspections pursuant to two main sections of the Pharmacy Act 2007:-
- Inspections are carried out under Section 19 as part of the registration process for retail pharmacy businesses. Prescriptions are not reviewed as part of these inspections.
- Inspections are carried out under Section 67 to review compliance with the Pharmacy Act, regulations made thereunder and medicines legislation including the Medicinal Products (Prescription & Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 (as amended). Prescriptions are reviewed as part of these inspections.
The data obtained during inspections in 2011 and 2012 was not recorded on a computer database. Therefore the PSI manually checked 20% of inspection reports in order to ascertain the average number of prescriptions checked per inspection completed during 2011 and 2012 respectively. The figures set out below are based on these calculations. Detailed information regarding regulatory compliance with prescription legislation is not readily available for 2011 and 2012.
| Year | Inspection Type | Number of Inspections Completed | Prescriptions Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Section 19 Inspections | 95 | Not applicable |
| 2011 | Section 67 Inspections | 170 | An average of 4.12 prescriptions were checked per pharmacy inspected. |
| Year | Inspection Type | Number of Inspections Completed | Prescriptions Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Section 19 Inspections | 97 | Not applicable |
| 2012 | Section 67 Inspections | 75 | An average of 6.6 prescriptions were checked per pharmacy inspected. |
As at the 25th February 2013, the PSI has carried out a total of 96 inspections of retail pharmacy businesses.
| Year | Inspection Type | Number of Inspections Completed | Prescriptions Checked | Unable to provide a copy of the prescription | Regulatory Defect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Section 19 Inspections | 10 | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| 2013 | Section 67 Inspections | 86 The results of 68 inspections have been recorded / analysed in the computerised database. | A total of 272 prescriptions were checked across 68 inspections. An average of 4 prescriptions were checked per pharmacy inspected. | Retail Pharmacy Businesses were unable to provide the prescription in the case of 49 (18.01%) prescriptions requested. | Regulatory defects were noted in respect of 165 (60.66%) prescriptions reviewed. |
It should be noted that failure to present the prescription does not necessarily constitute a regulatory defect. There are circumstances where pharmacies are legally entitled to return prescriptions to patients.
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