The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has welcomed the launch of the Department of Health’s campaign to raise awareness about the new Common Conditions Service (CCS) currently being rolled out through pharmacies.
The CCS, which was a key part of the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025, will further enable patients to receive advice and treatment for common conditions in pharmacies. Pharmacists will now have the ability to prescribe certain prescription-only medicines for a range of eight common conditions through established clinical protocols.
Community pharmacies across the country will begin offering the services in the coming weeks, said the Department, with 93 per cent of pharmacies now opt- ed-in to deliver the service.
Welcoming the launch the IPU’s Head of Professional Services, Susan O’ Dwyer said: “The Common Conditions Service is a significant milestone in pharmacy care in Ireland and one that the IPU has been advocating for over many years. As medicine experts, pharmacists have long sought the opportunity to use their exper- tise in new ways to help patients.
“Each day in pharmacies across Ireland, patients present with common self-limiting conditions, where phar- macists have the clinical knowledge to support with their management but, until now, lacked the authority to prescribe certain prescription only medications to support with treatment.
“The CCS will change that, enabling pharmacists to deliver timely care and treatment, for eight common conditions. Participating community pharmacists are looking forward to helping patients get the support they need via this private and confidential community pharmacy service.”
