Busiest year for pharmacy based fitness-to-practise hearings

This year is set to be the busiest ever when it comes to the number of fitness-to-practise inquiries involving pharmacists, with the sector’s regulator already voicing concerns over the rise in associated legal fees.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) will launch its annual report today and is expected to address issues surrounding legal costs associated with the fitness-to-practise inquiries, after the actual legal expenditure last year was close to double the budgeted amount.

A report in the most recent issue of the IPU Review, a journal produced by the Irish Pharmaceutical Union, detailed a meeting of the PSI Council in July in which its administration and finance committee chairman said the legal costs “screamed out of the page”.

Shane McCarthy said the fitness-to-practise budget last year was €375,000 but the out-turn by year’s end was €665,000, meaning the budget for this year of €325,000 was likely to be inadequate.

The same meeting heard that by July seven inquiries had been concluded and another eight were scheduled to be heard, with work also continuing on another 10 inquiries. The meeting heard that this would mean 2016 would see the highest number of inquiries heard in any year to date. The report into the meeting also outlined how Mr McCarthy suggested the increased rate of activity was likely to continue into 2017, with the priority to have cases heard as soon as possible.

Health Minister Simon Harris is due to attend the launch of the PSI annual report in Dublin today.