Warning on pharmacy fee rows

[Posted: Fri 02/11/2007 by Niall Hunter, Editor - www.irishhealth.com]

The public may lose confidence in pharmacists if all it hears about them is rows about money and contracts, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland has warned.

Brendan Hayes, who heads up the regulatory body, said pharmacists must respect  the trust and support they receive frompatients and the public.

"Over decades, pharmacists have maintained the faith of the public in their service and judgement. However, I would be concerned that if the only news they hear about pharmacists is about industrial relations, contracts or rows about money, they will lose public confidence." he said. 

Recently, pharmacists have been involved in a row over payments with the HSE which led to a refusal by some pharmacists to dispense methadone to former addicts.

Mr Hayes said it is time that Irish pharmacy services move beyond concerns about money, contracts and industrial relations.

"Pharmacists need to be heard on many things including the bottlenecks in the health service and the role that pharmacists and pharmacies can play in offering more cost-effective services and bringing patient value to our services."

Mr Hayes was speaking as details were announced of the second National Pharmacy Summit,  to be held in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham on November 5.

Thomond  Posted: 04/11/2007 11:03

LIke all workers in the health service pharmacists have to fight, not for a pay increase, but to stop a pay reduction. The 700 managers in the HSE can award themselves big bonuses at the expense of nurses, porters, pharmacists, electricians etc. Disband the HSE!

Ron Usmar  Posted: 18/01/2008 08:43

"The 700 managers..." Another evidence-based claim from the pharmacy sector. If this is what is used as fact in IR debate, what confidence can we have in their professional decision-making? Brendan Hayes is right - pharmacy needs to make a clinical and economic case, one that can be analysed and assessed on its merits, on the services that it can provide that will benefit patients and be a better way to deliver those services than at present. If it is better for the patient and the accountants (sneer or not, they have to be part of the equation), then that is good health policy. Pay for it. If it doesn't meet those two criteria, then it is not good policy. Don't pay for it. This is as it should be. Good medicine is based on a foundation of evidence. So is good policy-making. There are now growing pockets of evidence-based decision-making in health policy. Sadly, IR claims in pharmacy are not evidence-based. Until this changes, we will not see the sort of evolution of pharmacy that would benefit patients and professionals. Ron

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