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IPN 2022 December
End of Year: PSI-
The Pharmacy Regulator
I started the year by taking the opportunity to thank registered pharmacists, pharmacy owners and pharmacy teams for their ongoing hard work and commitment in the face of COVID-19 and the participation of many pharmacies in the national vaccination programme. This work continues at the tail-end of the year, and I again extend the PSI Council’s acknowledgement for the important work being undertaken across the country despite various challenges.
While society largely shed masks and other protections as the year went on, healthcare settings remain places where infection prevention and control measures are a necessary high priority for patient and staff safety. Pharmacists are keenly aware of the many people who remain affected, at-risk and isolated due to their vulnerabilities to COVID-19 and other illnesses. The PSI is cognisant of the extensive efforts of pharmacists to remain available to support their patients with appropriate care and treatment at all times.
PSI’s work and engagement with the Department of Health, HSE, other regulators, Schools of Pharmacy and representative bodies has continued, with our
regulatory role being but one part of the broad healthcare system. Pharmacy involvement in vaccination availability, training and management were very much on the agenda throughout the year, with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations being a vital part of this winter’s protections for the public. The PSI has continued to approve all required new vaccination training programmes for pharmacists and has made available information and guidance to our registrants on a range of topics to support their practices and compliance with legislative provisions. Assessing compliance continues through visits to pharmacies, with many more in person visits this year than was possible over the previous two years.
We acknowledge that the availability of pharmacist staff and the associated workforce challenges is a live issue, and it is something that the PSI is actively exploring. In line with our strategic commitment, we are examining the emerging risks to the future pharmacy workforce, so that pharmacy may continue to play a full and active role in the development of an integrated healthcare system. The PSI is very grateful to pharmacists and pharmacy students who have offered to participate in focus groups to feed into this work, and to other pharmacists who applied to be part of the project’s Working Group. This is a complex issue which requires to be addressed collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders.
The PSI has commissioned external support with expertise in workforce planning and is consulting with a wide range of stakeholders, including members of the profession, with the intention of setting out a series of recommended actions for consideration by the PSI Council. The project will run throughout 2023.
The PSI is observing a return to pre-COVID-19 registration
applications with the continued year on year increase to the Register of Pharmacists. Through October to December, the PSI is in the peak time for continued registrations and the first-time registration of new national Masters in Pharmacy graduates. The numbers on the Register of Pharmacists are expected to be over 7,000 for the first time in the new year. This is of interest in the context of pharmacist availability and the aforementioned project.
The new registrant portal for PSI applicants and registrants has demonstrated significant value to the organisation since implemented at the end of last year. It has generally streamlined the application process and improved processing times. PSI staff are committed to continuing to improve and evolve digital offerings in the interest of efficiency for all and in line with the Government’s and PSI’s ‘digital first’ policy.
Along with general increases in registration numbers, queries and applications to the existing Third Country Qualification Recognition (TCQR) route have notably increased this year. Work remains ongoing in relation to our revision of this route for pharmacists who have qualified in a Non-EU/ EEA country. It is the intention to streamline the overall process for the benefit of applicants and to improve internal efficiency.
The Council has approved a policy and an approach for the roll-out of a new TCQR process and we hope to consult on the different aspects of the proposed changes soon. The process is being designed with a more holistic perspective. It will remain a multi-stage process, but depending on an applicant’s qualification, training, and experience, the applicant will move through it differently. Ultimately, our focus must be to ensure that there are fair and robust qualification recognition and registration systems in place
that facilitate the entry of suitably qualified pharmacists to the Irish pharmacy workforce.
In Spring, like many others, the PSI turned its attention to the impacts and challenges brought by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. An internal staff group was initially established to ensure the PSI’s readiness for the range of issues that might be related to the movement of Ukrainians to Ireland, and the PSI remained in close contact with the Department of Health and the HSE about professional registration and medicines availability. The Council extended a waived TCQR application fee to Ukrainian pharmacists coming to Ireland under Temporary Protection Status, as is the case for applicants with refugee status. Staff have been assisting a small number of Ukrainian pharmacist applicants with their requests to enter the Register of Pharmacists.
As expected, it has been a busy year. Our role in the public interest is expansive and the Council has set several areas for strategic development and improvement. We are entering the final year of our Corporate Strategy 20212023 and we strive to meet the commitments within it so that the PSI can respond efficiently and effectively within our sphere of regulation.
I would like to thank the members of the PSI Council for their dedication and support again this year, and to thank all PSI staff for their hard work as we seek to keep pace with ongoing change and our range of commitments. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Lorraine Horgan who has guided the PSI as Interim Registrar throughout this year.
While we advance some key projects in 2023, I look forward to engaging broadly with PSI’s registrants so that we can continue to ensure the delivery of safe, quality pharmacy services, and to assure public trust in our valued profession.
