The Irish Pharmacy Union has warned that a growing shortage of pharmacists is fast becoming a major threat to community healthcare.

IPU president Dermot Twomey told delegates at the organisation’s AGM in Dublin that there are currently 3,800 community pharmacists working across Ireland’s 1,900 community pharmacies.

“With a growing and ageing population, we estimate there is a significant shortfall of pharmacists working in the sector,” said Twomey.

“The impact of this shortage is increasingly apparent and pharmacies, the majority of which are small family-owned businesses, are struggling to keep their doors open.

“A properly empowered, regulated and resourced pharmacy sector could deliver a revolution in community care,” he added.

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“However, without concerted action to address this shortage pharmacies will close, reduce their hours, and reduce their services."

The IPU reports that attracting and retaining young community pharmacists became increasingly difficult during the Covid pandemic.

“If this pattern continues it could impact the accessibility of pharmacy services in the future,” said Twomey.

“Not only that but existing ancillary services that are highly time consuming, such as creating individual patient medication regimes will not be possible in many pharmacies.”

The supply shortfall is being blamed on a lack of university places for pharmacists.

IPU research indicates that half of pharmacists working in Ireland qualified in Ireland.

Twomey told IPU delegates: “It is unacceptable in 2022 that a modern healthcare system must rely upon outsourcing education to other countries.

“We have been campaigning for more third level places in Ireland for some time, including the establishment of a new, additional school of pharmacy. It has now reached a crisis point and action needs to be swift.

“More immediately, we must make it as easy as possible for pharmacists from non-EU countries to relocate and work in Ireland.

“A first step would be to immediately include community pharmacists on the Critical Skills Occupations List, which will assist in increasing the number of potential candidates from third countries.”

One in five community pharmacists depart the sector withing seven years of qualifying.

The IPU attributes the attrition to “onerous and entirely pointless bureaucracy that pharmacists must undertake daily”.

“The average pharmacist wastes a significant amount of time each working day on form filling such as doing paperwork for community drug schemes,” said Towmey.

“These activities add nothing to patient care or clinical safety. It is the bane of every pharmacist’s existence and could be easily solved.”

Photo (l-r): IPU vice president Ann Marie Horan,  Dermot Twomey and acting secretary seneral Derek Reilly. (Pic: Jason Clarke)