Information campaign launched to raise awareness of Common Conditions Service available to the public

This week marks the launch of the national public information campaign on the Common Conditions Service in community pharmacies. Information will be provided across various media and advertising channels, highlighting to the public that the service is now available in participating community pharmacies. This is a Government of Ireland campaign that will run until the end of February 2026.  

Information for the public on the new service is also available on the Department of Health website and on the HSE website.  

To date, almost 1,800 pharmacies have signed up to provide the Common Conditions Service. The HSE Pharmacy Finder will provide a searchable list of participating pharmacies for the public, and the HSE A-Z of health conditions has been updated for the relevant conditions to signpost to the service available in pharmacies.  

We have updated the section of our website for patients and the public, including answering questions in our FAQs about the service. This is in addition to our dedicated Common Conditions Service page, which overviews each of the enablers in place and the requirements for pharmacists to establish this important new healthcare service. 

What is the Common Conditions Service? 

The Common Conditions Service aims to give people across Ireland faster access to trusted healthcare as it enables pharmacists to provide expanded treatment options to patients for eight common conditions, including pharmacists’ ability to prescribe some medicines where safe and appropriate. The conditions covered by the service include allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), and vulvovaginal thrush. 

The service is provided by pharmacists who have completed specific training and who follow clinical protocols, and patients can expect to have a private consultation with the pharmacist who will advise and support them. The pharmacist can: 

• assess symptoms
• provide advice on self-care
• recommend or supply appropriate treatments (where clinically appropriate)
• advise that patients contact their GP, if further care is needed 

As the pharmacy regulator, the PSI has been a key stakeholder in the Department of Health’s Community Pharmacy Expansion Implementation Oversight Group, with a range of others from across the health and pharmacy sectors. In the implementation of new pharmacy services, the PSI’s role is focused on ensuring that pharmacists are enabled to establish a safe and effective service for patients and the public and that pharmacists and pharmacy teams have access to the necessary training and regulatory supports.