The Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacy

Page updated 12 November 2025 

What was the Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacy? 

The Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacy was established in July 2023 by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD. The Expert Taskforce included 13 experts with experience in pharmacy education and practice, healthcare policy and delivery, and other related disciplines. The Taskforce was asked to consider how pharmacists can expand upon their present scope of practice for the benefit of patients, the public and the wider health system. The Expert Taskforce examined the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland and published two reports. 

The work of the Expert Taskforce was divided into two phases:  

Phase 1: The first interim report was published in November 2023 and recommended that pharmacists be enabled to extend and dispense certain prescriptions from six months up to a maximum of 12 months where appropriate. 

Phase 2: The second phase of the Taskforce examined empowering pharmacists to prescribe within their scope of practice.  

The second and final report was published in August 2024. It recommends that pharmacists should be able to prescribe for a range of common conditions, starting with an initial list of eight conditions which can be extended over time as the service evolves.  

The Taskforce also recommended, over the coming years, the introduction of independent pharmacist prescribing in Ireland and that independent pharmacist prescriber roles be developed across the health service within primary and secondary care settings.  

In February 2024, the PSI ran a webinar in partnership with the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP). The webinar provided information on the expected legislative changes to facilitate the first recommendation of the Taskforce to enable pharmacists to extend prescriptions. It also provided information on the broader work of the Expert Taskforce, with insights from the Chair of the Expert Taskforce, Dr Pat O’Mahony, and PSI Registrar Joanne Kissane. You can view the recording of the webinar on the IIOP website.  

Community Pharmacy Expansion Implementation Oversight Group 

The Minister for Health established a Community Pharmacy Expansion Implementation Oversight Group (IOG) to implement Taskforce recommendations that pharmacists be able to prescribe for a range of common conditions in community pharmacy. The IOG is chaired by the Department of Health and includes key stakeholders – the HSE, the PSI, the Health Products Regulatory Authority, the Irish Pharmacy Union, patient representatives and practicing pharmacists.  

The various elements and enablers for the Common Conditions Service have been developed by the Department together with the IOG members. The PSI’s role on the group, as the pharmacy regulator, is to ensure that pharmacists have the necessary training and other regulatory supports to deliver a safe and effective Common Conditions Service for patients and the public. 

Further information about the IOG is available on the Department of Health website, including meeting agendas and minutes.   

Learn more about the Common Conditions Service.