Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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306. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the treatment of pharmacy students in universities (details supplied); if he was consulted regarding this change; his views on whether it should be permissible; and if he will engage with the presidents of these institutions to reverse these changes. [19245/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) is an independent statutory body, established by the Pharmacy Act, 2007. It is charged with, and is accountable for, the effective regulation of pharmacy services in Ireland, including responsibility for supervising compliance with the Act. The PSI is responsible for defining and ensuring the standards of education and training for pharmacists qualifying in Ireland. This includes developing standards, policies and carrying out accreditation of pharmacy degree programmes.

The changes in the degree programme structure arise from the recommendations of the Pharmacy Education and Accreditation Reviews project and implementation has been overseen by the National Forum for Pharmacy Education and Accreditation. 

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Education and Training) (Integrated Course) Rules were signed by the Minister for Health in 2014.

These Rules underpin the implementation of the new five-year fully integrated Master’s degree programme in pharmacy which evolved from significant review of the previous training pathway, and international best practice assessment in this area. They also gave effect to new accreditation standards that were developed by the PSI and place the Core Competency Framework for Pharmacists on a statutory footing.

Moving to an integrated degree format which fully combines and integrates academic and workplace-based learning is designed to produce pharmacists who can more effectively contribute to patient care and understand the needs of the health system by having a more rounded ‘whole system’ understanding of pharmacy practice across the diversity of settings in which pharmacy is practised.

This change in the pharmacist qualification is designed to enable the pharmacists of the future to meet the changing needs of the healthcare system in Ireland. The degree will also allow greater integration with the very successful pharmaceutical industry reflecting the Government’s policy approach to the forging of strong partnerships with industry and collaborative links across academic institutions. Furthermore, moving to an integrated degree structure is intended to bring the education and training of pharmacists more closely into line with the format of the other members of the healthcare team, i.e. medicine, nursing, allied health.

The new five-year integrated Master’s degree in pharmacy, delivered by the three schools of pharmacy in Ireland (TCD, RCSI, UCC), has been developed in line with best international practice. It differs substantially from the former educational model, replacing the '4+1' structure that consists of a 4-year Bachelor pharmacy degree programme followed by a one-year internship programme or placement, with a fully integrated course structure.

Further information in relation to these changes can be requested from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.