Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland

On 23 July 2023, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly established an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland. The remit of the Taskforce is to identify and support the delivery of specific objectives, which will serve to align services and practices that can be delivered by pharmacists, and pharmacies, with the needs of the health service and patients.

The Taskforce comprises 13 individuals who each will bring the specific expertise, perspective and competence needed to provide a holistic overview of the actions required to optimise the expansion of health service provision through pharmacy and pharmacists. Crucially, they represent many of the main stakeholders, and so stakeholder consultation is an inherent part of the Taskforce work. The Group comprises:

• Chair Dr. Pat O Mahony - formerly CEO of the HPRA and a former Deputy Secretary General at the Department of Health, Pat was also Chairman of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency. Pat is currently Chair of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and of the Irish Medicines Verification Organisation (IMVO), and the former CEO of Clinical Research Development Ireland (CRDI)
• Prof. Michael Barry is a consultant Clinical Pharmacologist and Head of the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University of Dublin, Trinity College. He is the Clinical Director of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics
• Pat Healy is the National Director of National Services and Schemes in the HSE
• Keith O’Hourihane is a Community Pharmacist and an adjunct Clinical Lecturer in UCC School of Pharmacy
• Joanne Kissane is a pharmacist and the Registrar and Chief Officer of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, The Pharmacy Regulator
• Kate Mulvenna is a pharmacist and former head of Pharmacy Function in the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) in the HSE
• Prof. Caitriona O’Driscoll is Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutics in the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork
• Louisa Power is a pharmacist and a Medication Safety Specialist with the National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate of the HSE
• Dr Diarmuid Quinlan is a GP and Medical Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners
• Prof. Judith Strawbridge is Deputy Head (Education) of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
• Mr Laurence O’Dwyer is a Pharmacist and the Scientific Affairs Manager in the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA)
• Dr Tamasine Grimes is Associate Professor in Practice of Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Trinity College Dublin and is a practicing pharmacist
• Kevin Warren is the Principal Officer in the Medicines, Controlled Drugs and Pharmacy Legislation Unit of the Department of Health who replaced Anne-Marie Seymour Principal Officer in the Medicines, Controlled Drugs and Pharmacy Legislation Unit of the Department of Health in January 2024

Three Sub-Committees were established during the lifetime of the Taskforce. A Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Sub-Committee was established in September 2023, a Research Sub-Committee was established in January 2024 and an Implementation Sub-Committee was established in January 2024.

Each of these Sub-Committees of the Taskforce was chaired by a member or member(s) of the Taskforce. These Sub-Committees enabled the Taskforce garner expertise from suitably qualified persons which fed into the development of the Taskforce’s recommendations.

The Taskforce first met on 29 August 2023 and is expected to meet fortnightly and as often as the Chair advises. The first recommendations of the Taskforce were published in November 2023.

Minister for Health progresses enhanced role for pharmacists following first recommendation of Expert Taskforce

If you would like to contact the Taskforce Secretariat, please do so at PharmacyTaskforce@health.gov.ie

The Expert Taskforce conducted a Public Consultation on the topic of the potential expansion of services that Pharmacists can provide in Pharmacy settings. This consultation is now closed. Find out more at Item was unpublished or removed