Prescriptions for common conditions should be available at pharmacies – report

People should be able to get prescriptions for eight common conditions at pharmacies, a report has recommended.

A taskforce on expanding the role of pharmacies found that pharmacists should be able to prescribe medication for “uncomplex” health issues.

It has recommended eight common conditions that can be managed by pharmacists: allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, oral thrush, shingles, uncomplicated UTIs/cystitis and vulvovaginal thrush.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said it represented “a radical departure” in the role pharmacists play in Ireland.

He said it was hoped the proposals would alleviate pressure on GPs, many who have full patient lists, and said the recommendations could be implemented as early as next year.

It is unclear how much it would cost to get a prescription from pharmacists, but pharmacies will be able to set their own prices for non-medical card holders.

In relation to costs for patients with medical cards, Mr Donnelly said that would be subject to negotiations with the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).

The IPU president, Tom Murray, welcomed the finding but said “a lot of work still needs to be done before implementation can happen”.

“The introduction of a common clinical conditions scheme could be among the most impactful changes in Irish healthcare in decades,” he said.

“This will allow all people to access pharmacy care for minor conditions in the convenience of their pharmacy.”

The chair of the taskforce Dr Pat O’Mahony said they looked at what schemes other jurisdictions have in place, and what conditions they included.

Asked why prescriptions such as inhalers for asthma were not included, Dr O’Mahony said: “How long is a piece of string?

“There could be 20 on that list in a year’s time, or not. We had to settle with a small number of conditions that we were absolutely comfortable to recommend as the starting point.”

Asked about pharmacies prescribing antibiotics when anti-microbial resistance is a concern in Ireland, Dr O’Mahony said there was no evidence that this would lead to “any additional use of antimicrobials”.

“That will be our expectation and, as the scheme is rolled out, the rules and the sense of behaviour around antimicrobial usage will be the same in the different professions. So we have considered that carefully at the level of the taskforce.”

Asked about how GPs felt about the changes, Dr O’Mahony said the taskforce had received submissions from the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP).

He said that change “is always a challenge” and “what’s important here is what’s right for patients”.

When contacted, the ICGP said it would not comment on the pharmacy taskforce recommendations.

Dr O’Mahony also said they would introduce a postgraduate training module that would be incorporated into undergraduate programmes.

A chief pharmaceutical officer will also be appointed to the Department of Health.

There was a chief pharmacist in place until 2013, who was responsible for policy and legislation relating to the regulation of medicines, medical devices, cosmetics, narcotics and psychotropic substances, as well as regulating pharmacists and pharmacies.