From 1st March next year, doctors will be able to issue and pharmacists will be able to extend prescriptions that are valid for a year.
The current limit is six months, which was extended from three months during Covid.
It’s the first recommendation from an expert taskforce, set up by the Health Minister to explore expanding the role of pharmacists, to ease pressure on GP services.
Superintendent Pharmacist with Grants Pharmacy in Wexford, Leonie Grant has welcomed the move:
“We certainly welcome this new measure. The extension that was introduced during Covid took a bit of pressure off GP surgery’s. There are certain illnesses where the medication rarely changes so it is a no brainer that that particular cohort of patient can get a longer prescription than six months.”
The new measure won’t apply to all medications – just those that patients use routinely like blood pressure tablets and the contraceptive pill.
It’ll be down to the pharmacist to decide if it’s appropriate.
Some doubts about patient safety have been put forward by pharmacists but Ms. Grant asserts that the patient can be reverted back to their GP if there is any doubt:
“As pharmacists we know the patients that are safe to have their prescriptions extended, and anyone else can be sent back to their GP if needed.”
It’s expected the finer details of the plan will be decided over the next four months.
