The Future of the Pharmacy Workforce

In both our current and previous Corporate Strategies, we have made a strategic commitment to examine the issues facing the professional workforce to ensure pharmacy can continue to meet the health and safety needs of the public and fulfil its role in the development of an integrated and expanding health service.

With the launch in August 2024 of the final Expert Taskforce report, a policy direction and a roadmap for an expanded scope of practice for pharmacy has been provided, and so it is important to continue to look ahead and anticipate the needs and expectations of the pharmacy sector and wider health services in Ireland. As the move towards a more integrated healthcare system continues, our ongoing project means we remain dedicated to ensuring pharmacy will be in a position to fulfil changing and increasing demands for quality and safe care, recognising the complexity of the issues involved, and the many contributing factors and multiple stakeholders.

Pharmacy Workforce Working Group 

The Emerging Risks to Pharmacy Workforce project assessed potential challenges to maintaining a professional pharmacy workforce in both community and hospital settings in Ireland. The key findings were compiled in the Workforce Intelligence Report (2023), which outlined several recommendations and actions to ensure a sustainable future pharmacy workforce for Ireland. You can read more about both areas in the sections below.  

The first recommendation of the Workforce Intelligence Report was to establish a multi-agency group focused on national strategic workforce planning for pharmacy. To this end, the Pharmacy Workforce Working Group was established in April 2024.  This group has joint oversight by the PSI and the Department of Health.  

The group meets on a quarterly basis and includes membership from a range of stakeholders with interest in and knowledge of the pharmacy sector. The intent is to influence, inform and evolve policy relating to the future role of, demands for, and availability of pharmacists in the health service. 

Pharmacy Workforce Working Group 2024 Summary Report 

The Pharmacy Workforce Working Group met quarterly throughout 2024 to discuss progress on the recommended actions arising from the Workforce Intelligence Report.  The group also discussed changes and updates in pharmacy practice and policy, which influence, inform and evolve demands for, and availability of pharmacists in the health service. As part of its work, the group also identified ongoing challenges it faces in the delivery of specific recommended actions. 

The PSI and Department of Health wish to commend the working group members and stakeholders on their ongoing commitment and collaboration in advancing the recommended actions and are pleased to share the following report, summarising the progress made during the working group’s inaugural year.    

Download the 2024 Summary Report

Workforce Surveys

Stemming from the Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce project (more details in section below), the PSI has conducted three workforce surveys since 2022 taking into account things like, but not limited to, motivating and demotivating factors among the profession, a greater understanding about the composition of the pharmacy workforce, areas of practice, staffing levels within community pharmacies, and looking at year-on-year comparisons where possible.   

Our most recent Survey of the Register took a strictly quantitative approach to focus on enhancing the data we hold on the PSI registers, including: demographics, practice area(s), typical county(ies) of practice, registration in other jurisdictions, and Vaccination/Emergency Medicine training. Supervising pharmacists were asked to answer additional questions about their pharmacy, their team, and the pharmacy services they offer. 

Download the 2024 Survey of the Register Report  

You can find past workforce surveys below: 

Download the 2022 Workforce Survey Analysis Report 

Download the 2023 Pharmacy Workforce Survey Analysis Report (Emerging Risks to Future Pharmacy Workforce Project)

Download the 2024 Pharmacy Workforce Survey Analysis Report  

Expanding on from the Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce project, the PSI, together with other stakeholders, have committed to supporting workforce modelling to ensure that pharmacy can continue to meet the needs of the public and the wider healthcare system in the short and longer term. We therefore plan to continue to conduct annual surveys with a mixture of sentiments-based workforce questions and a review of data held on the register as the role of pharmacy continues to evolve.  

Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce Project

In 2022, the PSI commenced the strategic project Emerging Risks to the Future Pharmacy Workforce to establish a baseline view of the key challenges and opportunities associated with both the community and hospital pharmacist workforce. A working group comprised of stakeholders with a multidisciplinary background from across the healthcare spectrum was established and external consultants, Grant Thornton, were also commissioned to assist with the project alongside a dedicated PSI project team. 

The overall project consisted of a literature review, workforce surveys and focus groups. We appreciate all those who have taken part in both the surveys and focus groups. 

Workforce Intelligence Report (2023) 

On 25 September 2023, the PSI Workforce Intelligence Report was launched at the Department of Health. The Workforce Intelligence Report, the first of its kind for pharmacy in Ireland, provides a baseline view of the pharmacy workforce in Ireland. It assesses the current risks to the continued availability of pharmacists and proposes a series of strategic recommendations and mitigating actions for implementation with agreement from key stakeholders from across the health system and pharmacy sector.  

As of April 2024, an implementation and oversight group has been established to monitor the progress of these recommendations (see Pharmacy Workforce Working Group section above). 

For any questions on this area of work, please contact professionalstandards@psi.ie