How to make a complaint

You may have a concern about the behaviour, actions, or health of a pharmacist, or about the service you received at a pharmacy.

In this case, it’s usually best to first talk to the supervising pharmacist or the pharmacy owner where the issue happened. Most problems can be resolved directly with your pharmacist.   

If the issue isn’t resolved after speaking to them, you can choose to either raise a concern or make a formal statutory complaint to the PSI.

The statutory complaint process can be very time consuming, and this should be considered before deciding how you wish to progress and often people find it preferable to raise the matter as a concern.

When a concern is received by the PSI it is formally reviewed to consider whether further action is needed, and what that action might be. You may not be kept informed of the outcomes of the internal reviews and actions taken by the PSI. 

To submit a concern to the PSI please email us complaints@psi.ie.

Please note that there are certain issues we can't address, whether they are raised as a concern or a complaint.

Please see our frequently asked questions on the complaints process  about matters we can and can't deal with. For example:

• What type of complaints will the PSI consider?
• What type of complaints can the PSI not consider?
• Can the PSI help me make my complaint?

Please use our online Complaint Form when submitting a complaint.  This will help you to give us all relevant details that we need to process your complaint.  Your complaint must be sent to us in writing.  We cannot accept complaints made over the telephone.  

We have Access Officers appointed at the PSI to assist people with disabilities who need support to use our information and services. If you need the help from the PSI’s Access Officers, please phone (01) 218 4000 or email accessofficer@psi.ie. 

If you are unable to complete the online form, you can access our Complaint Form below, which you can download and then send to us by email or by post. 

• Complaint form in English (Word) 
• Complaint form in English (PDF) 
• Foirm gearán i nGaeilge

Your complaint in writing must include: 

• your full name, address and daytime telephone number; 
• as much information as possible about the circumstances of your complaint , including names, dates and places; 
• as much information as possible about the pharmacist or pharmacy, such as name and place of work; 
• any supporting documents that you have, including copies of prescriptions or letters; 
• the name and contact details of anyone, such as a witness, who can confirm the detail/order of events you describe in your complaint. 

Send your complaint form and your supporting documents by: 

• email to complaints@psi.ie, or 
• post to Complaints Officer, PSI- The Pharmacy Regulator, PSI House, 15-19 Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 TD72. 

We understand that making a complaint can be stressful, so we will try to consider your complaint as quickly as we can. However, some complaints are complex and it may take some time to gather all the information needed to reach a fair decision. We will keep you informed as much as possible at each stage of the complaints process. 

Sometimes we receive complaints that relate to the work or the responsibility of another organisation. When this happens we have a duty to let them know about it. For example, if your complaint raises a concern about the protection of children or a vulnerable person, we are obliged to tell the relevant authority such as the Child and Family Agency and/or the Gardaí Siochána. 

Complaints will initially be reviewed by the complaints screening committee, called the Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC). The PPC will consider the complaint and decide whether to advise the PSI Council if further action is warranted. Some complaints may result in a hearing before a Committee of Inquiry or be dealt with by way of mediation. Scheduled inquiries to take place in public will be listed in advance of the hearing date.  

If a complaint was referred to an inquiry, the PSI Council may publish its findings and decisions on www.psi.ie. In this section you will find information about the complaints and disciplinary process, including what complaints can be dealt with by the PSI and how to make a complaint. We also have a guide that you can read if you need support making your complaint.