Mistakes made in emergency pharmacies - IPU

The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) has claimed it has seen evidence of clear mistakes and flaws at some of the HSE’s emergency dispensaries.

The likelihood of inexperienced and overworked staff in these dispensaries making such mistakes will increase today as demand is expected to rise after the bank holiday weekend, the union warned.

The IPU said it would write a formal letter to the Health Minister expressing its concern at the poor quality of the HSE’s contingency planning on Saturday and the danger to public health.

“The HSE was clearly not prepared for the relatively light volume of patients they saw on Saturday.  I fear for what might happen when the normal post bank holiday surge occurs tomorrow [Tuesday],” Liz Hoctor, president of the IPU said yesterday.
 
Hundreds of pharmacists have stopped dispensing medicine under the State drug schemes, which includes the medical card scheme, because of cuts to their payments.

The HSE has said that the IPU is deliberately using inaccurate information to create concern and worry in the minds of patients and clients.

“It is remarkable for a professional body to behave like this,” said Laverne McGuinness, National Director of the HSE’s Primary, Continuing and Community Care.

“This reflects very badly on the profession which is highly regarded within the community and I would ask the IPU to show leadership, to assist the HSE in meeting the needs of patients and clients, and to desist from deliberately trying to create worry through misinformation,” Ms McGuinness added.

The HSE is writing to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland to draw its attention to the actions of some pharmacies in recent days, which they say warrants investigation as it ‘represents a serious lapse in professional standards’.

The HSE said that over 1,100 pharmacies are continuing to provide services under the State drug scheme, after a number of them reconsidered their position in recent days.

It reiterated that the reduction in fees paid to pharmacies is necessary as the cost of almost €2 billion to taxpayers to provide medicines under the State drug schemes is unsustainable. The reduction in fees paid to pharmacists by a maximum of 24%, depending on their commercial relationship with their suppliers, will realise €133million in savings for the taxpayer, it said.

The HSE added that its contingency plans have ensured that no patient in urgent need has been left without medication.

Meanwhile, the HSE has said that a number of threats of violence have been made against locum pharmacists working in its temporary dispensing centres. The incidents of intimidation and verbal abuse occurred in temporary dispensing centres in Roscommon, Mayo and Donegal.

In response, the IPU said it would not condone any intimidation by its members but it has seen no evidence of any such intimidation. It added that the HSE themselves are  seeking to intimidate pharmacists to remain with the 'discredited' community drug schemes with threats of legal actions and delays in considering any application by pharmacists to reengage with the drugs schemes.

It has also emerged that some pharmacists are ceasing to supply methadone to patients. While some pharmacists see it as a separate scheme from the State drugs scheme and so will continue to supply it, according to the IPU certain pharmacists have informed them of their decision to stop supplying it because they believe it is a State drugs scheme. The IPU said it does not know how many pharmacists have stopped supplying methadone.

[Posted: Tue 04/08/2009]