PSI Annual Report 2007

Date: 18 April 2008

Pharmacy Regulator publishes Annual Report

The PSI Annual Report 2007 is available to view here

Thursday April 17th, 2008: The rational use of health service resources could be improved dramatically by the introduction of a minor ailments scheme to pharmacies, according to the President of the PSI, the pharmacy regulator.

Speaking at the publication of the PSI Annual Report, Mr Brendan Hayes, President, said such a scheme would be considered by the regulator when it furnishes an advisory report in early summer to the Minister for Health and Children.

“The best use of valuable GP surgery time and medical resources needs to be carefully examined.  I believe pharmacies could be used much better in frontline health care.  A good example of this would be in minor ailments. Scotland has an excellent scheme in operation since 2006 with 70,000 consultations a month in Scottish pharmacies, with the average cost of medicines prescribed by pharmacists under the scheme being lower than those prescribed by GPs under the same circumstances,” Mr Hayes said.

“There would be dozens of ailments that in the main would be minor ones that could be treated under the scheme, things like athlete’s foot, smoking cessation, sore throats, hay fever, etc.  UK research suggests 18 per cent of a GP’s day is spent on minor ailments.  In the operation of such a scheme, for example for medical card holders, certain medicines for self-limiting conditions could be prescribed by their local community pharmacy without charge.  Strict protocols with accountability would of course have to be set down but it could be done effectively and economically by pharmacists,” the PSI President said.
“Pharmacy practice is a key essential frontline health service easily accessible and readily available in every community, town and city. The pharmacy profession of the near future will have a greater focus on patient well-being, high quality service.  The new pharmacy legislation is in place since last May and we must effectively implement its various elements to ensure Irish pharmacy can perform to the highest global standards of practice possible.” 
Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the PSI, said a sub committee of the Council of the regulatory body is currently considering a range of measures that could help to modernise pharmacy in Ireland for the future.  “It is a highly qualified profession, highly accessible, which is used to greater effect in other jurisdictions.  We are currently looking at best practices elsewhere to see where they can be employed in the Irish system.”  Submissions to the review, called Pharmacy Ireland 2020, were invited from the public and other interested parties and these are still being considered by the PSI.

The 2007 annual report of the PSI (www.pharmaceuticalsociety.ie) records a very busy year for the regulator following the passage of the Pharmacy Act last year which replaced 132-year-old legislation.  Some 35 complaints were received and investigated by the PSI in 2007, compared to 29 in 2006.  Inspections of pharmacies were carried out in 138 cases last year.  The complaints investigated in 2007 included 10 for alleged dispensing errors, 10 for alleged inappropriate supervision of prescriptions, 7 on interpersonal issues, 4 related to alleged clinical pharmacy practice issues and others relating to alleged breaches of the law and alleged supply of out of date medication.  Three prosecutions were initiated in 2007 by the PSI.  In 2007, six pharmacists remained off the Register for health reasons.

At the end of 2007, 4504 pharmacists and 1628 pharmacies were registered with the PSI, the highest figures ever recorded for this professional sector. 
 
Of this total of 1628 pharmacies, 1567 were community pharmacies and 61 were hospital pharmacies.  In 2007, 51 pharmacies were registered as new pharmacy service providers with 18 new pharmacy openings pending.   The multi-cultural nature of pharmacists in Ireland was also evident in 2007, with 35% of new pharmacists registered by the PSI last year hailing from other EU countries. 

The numbers of young people in pharmacy education also continues to rise.  The total number of undergraduate and pre-registration pharmacy students under the accreditation programmes of the PSI in 2007 was of the order of 800.
2007 also included the 2nd Annual National Pharmacy Summit which featured representatives from patient and pharmacy stakeholders exchanging views and perspectives on pharmacy issues at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in November. The Council has engaged in a range of regional meetings across the country briefing up to 700 participants on the implementation of the new legislation with plans to continue these face-to-face stakeholder meetings into 2008.
Ends
For further information, contact:

Jackie Gallagher, Q4 Public Relations, 087 2371838

Editor’s Note:
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the Pharmacy Regulator, is the statutory body for pharmacists and pharmacies in Ireland.  It acts in the public interest to regulate the profession.