Minister for Health Launches Pharmacy Regulator's New Four-Year Strategy
The Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD today launched the new four-year corporate strategy of PSI- the Pharmacy Regulator, which outlines its objectives to ensure continued trust in pharmacy and to safeguard patient and public safety over the next four years.
The strategy covers a period of significant change in the pharmacy and healthcare landscape in Ireland, which is shaping the PSI agenda. A key focus is the contribution to the implementation of the recommendations of the Department of Health’s Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy. The recommendations have sought to align services and practices that can be delivered by pharmacists and pharmacies, providing an enhanced role for pharmacy within an integrated healthcare system.
The strategy also references the roll-out of much-anticipated advances for digital health in Ireland and the impact this will have on pharmacy practice, data management as well as the patient benefits, through initiatives including the National Shared Care Record and ePrescribing. It also outlines how the pharmacy regulator, as part of a multi-stakeholder approach to future workforce planning, is taking proactive steps to ensure the sustainability of pharmacists available to provide access to safe and effective pharmacy services to the public, now and into the future.
Further to this, it sets out the actions the pharmacy regulator intends to take as part of a commitment to evolve its regulatory approach. Reflecting on the broader landscape, the PSI believes there is a strong imperative to update the regulatory model for pharmacy, including progressing its programme of reform of the current Pharmacy Act and reviewing its disciplinary and complaint-handling processes to make them more person-centred and efficient.
Speaking at the launch, PSI President Katherine Morrow spoke of the regulator’s focus on continued engagement with all relevant stakeholders to progress its work, including pursuing even greater collaboration with the public in support of positive patient outcomes.
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, said:
“I welcome the PSI setting out their strategic direction as it continues to provide effective regulation that helps ensure patient safety and public trust in pharmacy.
The lifetime of the PSI’s new strategy will be an exciting time for pharmacies and pharmacists. I see it as a period with much opportunity for expansion, reform and new possibilities for a wider scope of practice, innovative services, and new business approaches, all leading to better patient care and access.
I am committed to working with the PSI and with the sector throughout 2025 and beyond to bring this ambition to life. Together, we can significantly empower both our pharmacy workforce and the public by increasing access to care in the community”
President of the PSI Katherine Morrow commented,
“Our mission is to assure patient safety and public trust in pharmacy through effective regulation. Our new strategy is an ambitious roadmap aligning with a period of significant change for pharmacy within an evolving healthcare landscape. At the heart of what the PSI does is the commitment to ensure the ongoing provision of safe, quality pharmacy care across almost 1,900 pharmacies, and that all pharmacists registered with the PSI, whose number now exceeds 7,700, continue to deliver the high standards of care and professionalism that is expected.
“We are focused on positive patient outcomes. We are committed to supporting pharmacists and pharmacies to provide high quality care and service, including through times of change, such as those envisaged through the Department of Health’s Taskforce recommendations. It is an exciting time, and, together with others, we want to make sure that such changes come to fruition and are successful, sustainable and safe.''
“The PSI embraces the opportunity to support national healthcare initiatives, with the view that doing so will deliver beneficial results for patients and the broader healthcare system, including the people who are providing pharmacy care and services.''
Speaking in particular on the day about pharmacy workforce developments, PSI's Registrar and Chief Officer Joanne Kissane said,
“Developed in consultation with stakeholders across pharmacy and health, the PSI Council is keen to see that this strategy prepares PSI, and those registered and regulated by us, for significant changes due to take place. These will ultimately benefit patients in the long term. Our aim is to align our regulatory systems and supports to underpin this evolution in pharmacists’ scope of practice.
“The successful delivery of pharmacy practice changes hinges on a committed, empowered, and engaged patient-facing pharmacist workforce. Our examination of workforce data over the past three years provides crucial data specific to pharmacists in Ireland, supporting strategic workforce planning for the profession into the future. Further to our work with others, including the Department of Health, we are committed to actions that seek to mitigate workforce challenges, with a view to the future of healthcare provision and to meet patient needs.”
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