Pharmacists asked to contribute to the accuracy of data available for pharmacy- State of the Register Survey
The registers the PSI maintains are not only important to the PSI in carrying out our work, and as a source of public information, they are a means of assessing the national picture of pharmacy in Ireland.
With the launch of the Expert Taskforce Report, containing recommendations that provide policy direction and a roadmap for an expanded scope of practice for pharmacy, it is more important than ever that up-to-date information is available for pharmacy in Ireland, in support of changes that will ultimately benefit patients and the health system.
We remain focused on the Future of the Pharmacy Workforce to ensure pharmacy can continue to meet the needs of the pharmacy sector and wider health system in Ireland in both the short and longer term. A necessary next step is to undertake workforce modelling to help inform future practice. We are asking registered pharmacists to contribute to a survey to enhance understanding about the number of practising pharmacists on the register and their area(s) of practice. This information will foster understanding of current workforce dynamics, and better enable modelling of what future pharmacy workforce needs will be. These projections are important when assessing the picture of pharmacy both in Ireland and for the pharmacist workforce as part of the wider EU health system.
‘State of the Register’ Survey 2024
We need your help by contributing to the accuracy and detail of our registers data to enhance understanding of the availability of pharmacists in the country and how pharmacy services are being provided. Registered pharmacists are asked to complete a short survey.
The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete for most pharmacists, while Supervising Pharmacists are asked a few additional questions about their pharmacy team and pharmacy services.
An email with a link to the survey has been issued to all registered pharmacists. If you are a registered pharmacist and did not receive the survey link, please contact Louise.Hamra@psi.ie.
Your contribution to the survey will help us to understand:
- How many pharmacists are in practice
- The sectors pharmacists are practising in
- The nature and composition of pharmacy teams
- How key pharmacy services might influence the resourcing requirements of pharmacies
- Allow us to use workforce modelling to estimate pharmacy workforce needs in the future
The survey will close end of day on Monday, 30 September 2024.
PSI’s Work on the Future of Pharmacy
In our Corporate Strategy 2021-2024 and our Service Plan for 2024, we made a strategic commitment to examine the issues facing the professional workforce to ensure pharmacy can continue to meet the health and safety needs of the public and fulfil its role in the development of an integrated and ever-expanding health service.
WE have previously conducted sentiment-based workforce surveys and plan to continue this in the future as the role of pharmacy continues to evolve. However, this latest survey is strictly quantitative and focuses on enhancing the data we hold on the PSI registers. Input by pharmacists to this survey will contribute to delivering on actions arising from the PSI’s ongoing work looking at the Future of the Pharmacy Workforce. A key element of this line of work includes ongoing workforce modelling, which provides the foundation to allow us to inform and evolve policy relating to the future role of, demands for, and availability of pharmacists in the health service. Helping the PSI have a clear sense of where the pharmacy workforce is now, enables us to assess how pharmacy can meet the needs of the future health system and the intended expansion of the role for pharmacists.
Reminder – How do I keep my registration details up to date?
If you change your practice area or wish to make updates to your registration data at any time, you can make these updates in the registration portal.
If you would like further information on this project or how the survey data will be used, you can contact Louise.Hamra@psi.ie.
