Majority favour pharmacists offering contraceptive care and prescribing for minor ailments, study finds 

IPU pharmacy contractors chairwoman Kathy Maher said "there is huge potential for pharmacies to expand the range of healthcare services they provide". 

The vast majority of adults (86%) want pharmacists to offer contraceptive care, while 96% favour pharmacists being able to prescribe for minor ailments, research has found.

A survey of pharmacy customers was conducted to analyse reactions to plans for potentially expanding pharmacists' roles, including independent prescribing. 

Health Minister Stephen Donnnelly has appointed an expert taskforce to make recommendations in this area.

The Pharmacy Index 2023 found 96% of adults would welcome pharmacists prescribing for minor ailments. 

The results show 94% are in favour of pharmacists being able to repeat certain prescriptions without referring back to the GP.

It also shows 96% are in favour of pharmacists offering a new medicine service to improve adherence to new medicine, and 86% favour pharmacists being able to offer contraceptive care.

The survey, carried out by B&A on behalf of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), found 48% of the adult population, nearly 1.9m adults, now visit a pharmacy in a typical week.

Almost all respondents, 98%, said they value the advice a pharmacist gives them, and nine in 10 agreed this role is becoming more important.

Many people receive their covid-19 or flu vaccines in pharmacies, and the survey found 78% of respondents now also welcome the chance to get childhood vaccines in this setting.

IPU pharmacy contractors chairwoman Kathy Maher said: “There is huge potential for pharmacies to expand the range of healthcare services they provide. 

"As the new expert taskforce commences its work it is heartening to see that patients across the country want to avail of these new services.

Supporting the sector to provide enhanced healthcare services would deliver a revolution in community care.

Ms Maher said the IPU looks forward to working with the expert taskforce, and hopes the recommendations will ultimately lead to “the most ambitious possible expansion of services” for patients.

“The pharmacy profession wants to do more for its patients, and it is clear patients would support this,” she said.

“However, achieving this potential will also require addressing the chronic underfunding of pharmacy services. 

"When a pharmacy dispenses a medication on behalf of the State today, they are receiving a lower payment than they did in 2009 but facing much higher costs. 

"This is creating huge pressure on our pharmacy network, which must be addressed before expansions can be realised.”