Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has welcomed the recommendations of the Expert Taskforce to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy.

He said that government policy needed to catch up with reality to address the challenges in healthcare.

Teachta Cullinane called on the Minister for Health to fully fund the recommendations in the forthcoming budget.

He said that community pharmacies should be fully leveraged to reduce pressure on general practice, and that that pharmacy should be fully integrated with preventive care, chronic disease management, and community healthcare services in addition to common conditions and minor illness.

Teachta Cullinane said:

“The Expert Taskforce on Pharmacy has made several welcome recommendations on expanding the role of pharmacists, particularly in community care.

“Sinn Féin have for years sought progressive change in prescription authority and in empowering pharmacists to care for people with minor conditions.

“The reality has been that primary care, and general practice in particular, has been under pressure, but government policy has not kept pace with reality. Health and social care professions must be supported and empowered to practice at the top of their licence.

“Pharmacists can serve a greater patient need than they are currently permitted to. The Minister for Health should take these recommendations and fund them in the forthcoming budget. He missed the opportunity last year to fund a minor illness scheme and develop regulations.

“This must be linked in and done in tandem with other community care reforms, such as directly employed GPs and expanding multidisciplinary primary care teams. The solutions to the challenges facing the health service are not new, and the job of government is to empower healthcare professionals to solve them.”