Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1521. To ask the Minister for Health to outline her plans to further enhance the ability of community pharmacists to administer vaccinations in the community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30013/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Pharmacists play a crucial role delivering many important services to support the health of our communities, offering expert advice on illness, ensuring the safe supply of medicines, and delivering vaccines to the public. Pharmacists are trusted and are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals.

Since 2011, pharmacists have been empowered to administer the seasonal influenza vaccine, with legislation subsequently amended to include the pneumococcal, shingles, and COVID-19 vaccines. Over 1000 pharmacies currently offer vaccine services.

Supports are available for community pharmacists who wish to administer vaccines in the community. The PSI, the Pharmacy Regulator, has guidance available (www.psi.ie/practice-supports/guidance-and-guidelines-pharmacists-and-pharmacies/guidance-provision-vaccination) to support pharmacists in providing safe vaccination services to the public in line with the legislation. The guidance sets out the legal and professional requirements which needs to be fulfilled and the general requirements applicable to the provision of a vaccination service in a pharmacy. Training for the supply and administration of vaccinations is available for pharmacists through the Irish Institute of Pharmacy. Additionally, the HSE has produced operational guidance (www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/gmscontracts/vaccination-primary-care-contractors-programme/information-for-community-pharmacies/) for community pharmacies who wish to offer vaccinations for COVID-19 and flu.

The flu vaccine is available free of charge to adults over 60 years, healthcare workers, pregnant people, those living in a nursing home or other long-term care facility, individuals in specified at-risk groups and children aged from 2 to 17 (who can get a nasal spray flu vaccine). The flu vaccine is available from October to April each year from pharmacies or GP surgeries. Those who are not eligible for a free flu vaccine can pay privately to receive it at a pharmacy or GP surgery.

Similarly, the COVID-19 vaccine is available via pharmacies, to those as recommended by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). In this Springs COVID-19 vaccination programme the vaccine was offered to those aged 80 years and above, those aged 70-79 who did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the preceding 12 months, those in long-term care facilities for older adults and those aged 6 months to 11 years with immunocompromise associated with a suboptimal response to vaccination. The spring programme will officially conclude on 6th June 2025.

I am a huge advocate for the reform and expansion of pharmacy services. The findings and recommendations from the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy provide an important framework to inform the reforms and developments required to deliver expanded pharmacy services. My vision for the future includes pharmacists playing a much larger role in our health service, and I’m happy to see the progress being made by my Department to facilitate this. My Department is currently prioritising delivery of all the regulatory enablers to facilitate community pharmacies to establish Common Conditions Services. As the work on the Common Conditions Service advances, my officials will subsequently progress a focused examination and scoping work on the remaining recommendations of the Taskforce with a view to establishing an approach to further phases of reform and the expansion of the role of pharmacists in all settings.