A new funding model for Ireland’s pharmacies is long overdue and needs to be implemented as a matter of priority. This was a central message from the newly elected President of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) Donegal-based Tom Murray.
Mr Murray has worked as a community pharmacist for 23 years and now brings his extensive experience to his new role with the IPU.
Addressing pharmacists at the National Pharmacy Conference in Athlone, which was attended by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, Mr Murray, while acknowledging significant momentum in efforts to expand Irish pharmacy services, emphasised the pressing need for a revised funding model. He stated that while pharmacists are optimistic about plans to expand the sector, this expansion must come in tandem with adequate funding.
“The establishment of an Expert Taskforce on the future of pharmacy was a milestone moment,” said Mr Murray. The role of pharmacists will change as a result and our profession is ready and excited to do so. These
changes should include independent prescribing powers, the provision of a service for common clinical conditions, and enhanced contraceptive care.
“The potential arising from all of this is immense for patient care. The expansion of pharmacy services will result in increased accessibility to healthcare, which will improve patient outcomes. Implementing a serious shortages protocol will reduce waiting times for medicines in short supply.”
However, despite the profession’s positive outlook toward this expansion Mr Murray warned that many pharmacies are at ‘breaking point’ due to the current funding model.
He explained: “Some 80 per cent of community pharmacists’ time is devoted to state services in administering the community drug schemes. Last year pharmacists dispensed more than 80 million medicines on behalf of the State. The fees paid for providing this vital service have been frozen for 16 years, while every other service provider, professional, and employee in the health sector has had increased payments.
“As a result of a draconian and regressive tiered-fee structure, and in the face of rising costs, pharmacies are dispensing at a loss for significant portions of each month when providing state services. As a result, every single pharmacy is now subsidising the State through their private business. This is unsustainable and cannot continue.”
Mr Murray cited a larger administrative burden as a huge barrier to progress on any front. “More than 90 per cent of pharmacists have reported burnout from the increased administrative burdens and red tape we face on an ongoing basis,” he noted. “Since the introduction of Healthmail we must now print an average of 78 million pieces of paper annually, the cost and time of which has been foisted upon pharmacies. We cannot wait any longer for basic IT initiatives to address this problem.
“The IPU is calling for a reasonable dispensing flat fee structure of
€6.50. After 16 years of a pay freeze this is a reasonable ask, particularly considering that in 2008 the Independent Review chaired by Mr Dorgan recommended €7.50.
In his conclusion, Mr Murray urged the Minister for Health to deliver progress on these issues.
“Successive governments have failed to grasp the nettle and address the fundamentals necessary for patient welfare and they have flagrantly ignored the ‘discriminatory’ treatment of community pharmacists. Minister Donnelly has laid the foundations for a transformational change that could leave a very positive legacy in Irish healthcare.
“However, if serious reform including a fee increase is not implemented, there will be dire consequences for patient care and for pharmacy services in the future.”
