Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the scale of issues facing pharmacists and community pharmacies; the action that he has taken to support pharmacists who have raised concerns around availability of leave, workplace satisfaction and general morale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46173/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you for raising this matter - firstly I would like to recognise the key role of Pharmacy in the Community, and the significant contribution made by this sector to patients and the public during the course of the pandemic.

I understand that currently there are reports of a current acute workforce issue, particularly in relation to community pharmacy. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) has been liaising with stakeholders, including the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), on efforts being taken within the sector to understand and address the issue

You raise a number of concerns in your question and I will address these holistically in the context of detailing specific actions being carried out by a number of stakeholders to try and mitigate current concerns in the sector. The issues raised are symptomatic of a complex problem with many contributing factors and multiple stakeholders. Workforce challenges are being experienced in other sectors nationally, and in the pharmacy sector in a range of other countries. This re-enforces the need for robust data for Ireland to be best able to determine the current landscape, assess future health system needs and understand existing sectoral challenges now and into the future.

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. The results of which have just been finalised and recommendations have been prepared by the IPU based on their findings. The report is currently under review by the Department of Health who will continue to liaise with relevant stakeholders on this matter.

In developing its Corporate Strategy 2021-2023, the PSI was aware, through its role as the pharmacy regulator as well as through reports from stakeholders, 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”.

As part of this project, PSI have committed to share any relevant data emerging with relevant Government departments particularly if trends are identified that indicate a future deficit. The PSI has also committed in its Service Plan 2022 to complete a review of the Third Country Qualification Route (TCQR) and propose changes to the Council.

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.

It will be on the basis of gathering and analysing up-to-date, robust and relevant data, that recommendations can be proposed to address Ireland’s needs for a pharmacist workforce in the future, as Ireland’s healthcare system evolves, and in the context of Sláintecare implementation. I will engage as necessary with government colleagues in addressing relevant issues as they arise.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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125. To ask the Minister for Health the number of community pharmacies that are currently operating without a supervising pharmacist; the steps that he has taken to ensure employment of supervising pharmacists in pharmacies across the State; the action that he has taken to support pharmacists in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46174/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you for your question. As you will be aware the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) is the statutory agency who maintains the Registers of Pharmacist and Pharmacies. As of the 19 September 2022, there are 1,981 pharmacies registered with the PSI, and of this number, there are currently 133 pharmacies that have vacancies for supervising pharmacists, or 6.7% of all registered pharmacies.

All such pharmacies are involved in a recruitment process to fill the vacancies that have arisen. The PSI monitors the situation and vacancies on an ongoing basis. It is also worth pointing out that from a patient safety perspective, a pharmacy may only be open if there is a registered pharmacist present on the premises at that time.

The requirement for all pharmacies to nominate a ‘supervising pharmacist’ is provided for in section 28(b) of the Pharmacy Act 2007. This section requires that where the business is carried on by a corporate body “(b) that, at the premises where the business is carried on or, if there are two or more of those premises, at each of them, there is a registered pharmacist who has a 3 years minimum post-registration experience in whole-time charge of the carrying on of the business there.’ This registered pharmacist is referred to as the supervising pharmacist. All pharmacies are also required to have in place a ‘superintendent pharmacist’, who must also have three years of post-registration experience.

While PSI is not involved in the recruitment of pharmacists, as the pharmacy regulator, they are examining the topic of the pharmacist workforce so that pharmacy can play a full role in the development of an integrated healthcare system. They are aware through their work and through reports from stakeholders, of an increasing risk to the continued availability of a pharmacist workforce, with the concern being that the issue may be exacerbated into the future. In response, the PSI is undertaking a project, due to run across 2022-’23, ‘Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce’. In 2022, this project is set to assess emerging risks to the continued availability of a professional pharmacy workforce within community and hospital pharmacy in Ireland.

This is a complex problem with many contributing factors and multiple stakeholders. Workforce challenges are being experienced in other sectors nationally, and in the pharmacy sector in a range of other countries. However, robust data for Ireland are 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 for a pharmacist workforce in the future, as Ireland’s healthcare system evolves, and in the context of Sláintecare implementation.

While the PSI strategic project referenced above will be important to understand the emerging risks, and support workforce planning and pharmacist availability into the future, it is apparent that there is a current acute workforce issue, particularly in relation to community pharmacy. Reports to the PSI indicate that this is being driven in part by an increasing number of pharmacists choosing to work in a locum capacity. This has a knock-on impact on pharmacist vacancies, and potentially on continuity and consistency of service. ?While this is an acute issue, and separate to their strategic workforce project, they have been liaising with other stakeholders, including the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), on efforts being taken within the sector to understand and address this current problem. In June of this year, pharmacists were added to the Critical Skills Occupations List by the Minister of State for Business Employment and Retail.