The Minister for Health has said she wants to see community pharmacies take on a greater role in vaccinating schoolchildren this year, as the country prepares for the opening of the new National Children’s Hospital, reports RTE.
Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill told delegates at the Irish Pharmacy Union conference in Carlow that childhood flu vaccination uptake had risen to 25% last year from 17% in 2024, and said the figure needed to continue growing.
She stated: “This year it will matter more than ever if we’re considering how we move to the new Children’s Hospital, reports RTE.
The vaccination rates really matter because it impacts on how respiratory illnesses are circulating in the community and what hospitalisations come from that and how many ambulances are available,” reports RTE.
On reports of HSE budget pressures and a nursing shortage, the Minister told reporters that recruitment was continuing for frontline clinical positions and that there was no pause on hiring in that area.
She said the Government wanted to reduce reliance on agency staff and convert existing temporary contracts to permanent positions, acknowledging that too much money was being spent on filling gaps in already-funded roles, reports RTE.
She said it was difficult to recruit at present but that this was a challenge being faced by countries across Europe.
She also called for multi-annual health funding to bring greater predictability to the system and said further work was needed to contain costs, reports RTE.
Asked about concerns raised at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation conference regarding the move to the delayed National Children’s Hospital, Minister Carroll MacNeill said she had recently met with staff in Crumlin and Temple Street who were very enthusiastic about the new facility.
She gave assurances that all practical considerations would be addressed to ensure excellent clinical care continued to be delivered, reports RTE.
She also announced that a new Chief Pharmaceutical Officer position at the Department of Health would be advertised the following month, alongside existing Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer roles, to bring expert pharmaceutical advice directly to ministerial decision-making, reports RTE.
Newly elected Irish Pharmacy Union President Caoimhe McAuley said she hoped the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer role would come with real resources and leadership.
She noted that the cost base for pharmacists was rising annually and described an upcoming fee review in June as a critical opportunity to ensure that public funding arrangements reflected the reality that 82% of dispensary revenue comes from the State, with pharmacies effectively acting as price-takers on the majority of their business, reports RTE.
Ms McAuley also welcomed the expansion of pharmacy services to cover eight common conditions — including allergic rhinitis, cold sores, conjunctivitis, impetigo, thrush, shingles, and urinary tract infections — that patients previously needed to visit a GP for, saying demand from patients for these services was strong.
The Minister confirmed she would like to see these services expanded further, and noted that bowel cancer screening was now also available through community pharmacies, reports RTE.
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