Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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730. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of discrepancies in the application of prescriptions by pharmacies (details supplied); and her plans to ensure that all pharmacies adhere to the same guidelines. [35494/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I am not in a position to comment on or intervene in individual cases, patient’s prescriptions, or decisions made by individual pharmacists in the exercise of their professional judgement. However, I set out below the current position with regards to the validity of prescriptions.

Under current legislation, a prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner may be valid for up to 12 months from the date of issue (with some exceptions), unless otherwise indicated by the prescriber. However, while the legislation may permit dispensing from a prescription for up to 12 months, on every occasion this prescription is dispensed, there is a legal requirement for the pharmacist to review the prescription and consider its pharmaceutical and therapeutic appropriateness for the safety of a patient. In addition, the pharmacist must offer to counsel the patient on the correct use and storage of the medicine, on every occasion it is supplied.

Pharmacists have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that each dispensing is safe, appropriate, and in the best interests of the patient. These responsibilities are reflected in the PSI Code of Conduct for Pharmacists (www.psi.ie/sites/default/files/2024-06/PSI's%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202019.pdf), which sets out the principles of professional practice expected of all pharmacists in Ireland. In particular, Principle 2 of the Code outlines the obligation to “provide safe and effective care,” and Principle 5 emphasises the need to “exercise professional judgment in the best interests of patients.”

These principles require pharmacists to consider, at each dispensing, not only the legal validity of the prescription, but also whether the continued supply of the medicine is clinically appropriate. This includes situations where the full 12-month supply may not be dispensed if, in the pharmacist’s judgement, further assessment is needed, or where clarity from the prescriber may be required.

Where a member of the public believes that a pharmacist has not acted appropriately or has not complied with their legal or professional obligations, they are entitled to make a complaint to the PSI. All complaints received are considered in accordance with the provisions of the Pharmacy Act 2007. A decision not to progress a complaint does not suggest that the concerns were not considered seriously, but rather that the statutory threshold for further action under section 36(1) of the Act was not met.

Alternatively, outside of the statutory complaints process, anyone can raise a concern with the PSI about the behaviour, conduct or practice of a pharmacist, or the service they have received in a pharmacy. All concerns are formally reviewed by the PSI to consider whether further action is needed. In these situations, those raising the concern are not kept informed of the outcomes of the internal reviews/actions taken by PSI. Further information is available on the PSI’s website (www.psi.ie/complaints-and-concerns/differences-between-complaint-and-concern).