Minister must intervene to ensure blister pack service for vulnerable people this winter

• Gross inefficiency in the lack of state support for blister packs.
• Significant burden on vulnerable older people and people with disabilities because of the failure of state support.
• New funding in the Community Pharmacy Agreement must be allocated to support vulnerable patient hardship blister pack services.
• Pharmacists have traditionally used phased dispensing to fund crucial blister pack service.

 

Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has expressed deep concern that the failure to put in place a state-funded blister pack services for prescribed medication as a result of the new Community Pharmacy Agreement is a recipe for confusion, missed dosing, and a loss of independence for elderly people and people with disabilities. Deputy Sherlock has called on the Minister for Health to urgently intervene to put in place vulnerable patient hardship blister pack services this winter.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The failure to put in place state-funded blister pack services is short-sighted and a complete contradiction to the principles of care in the community. This gross inefficiency in the lack of state support for blister packs will hurt the most vulnerable: older people, people with disabilities, and people on social welfare payments who will struggle to afford an additional €50 per month to pay for a blister pack service.

“The Minister must urgently intervene to ensure that vulnerable people who are reliant on blister packs can avail of those services this winter. There is additional funding of €50m for the Community Pharmacy Agreement next year. It is crucial that some of this additional funding be allocated to vulnerable patient hardship blister pack services.

“Traditionally, many pharmacies have used phased dispensing funding to maintain a blister pack service for vulnerable patients. This has now become a crucial element of care in the community. We know that the Community Pharmacy Agreement also sets out that any savings generated from the removal of phased dispensing for many individuals will be used by pharmacists for other services and “will be reinvested in the sector”. Older people and those with a disability should not be made to suffer to ensure investment elsewhere.

“These exceptionally short-sighted and reckless changes will have a very real impact on those who rely on community care the most. Blister packs have enabled older people and those with a disability to manage their condition more effectively and continue living at home. It has allowed people to know that they are taking their medication the right way every day. Families, carers and individuals themselves have all told us how vital this measure is. It is also completely at odds with Government’s own stated ambition to keep more patients at home.

“These changes will deter people from getting blister packs as a result of the additional costs and may result in poor medicine management. Monitored dosing is a critical element of disease management. Concerningly, this decision runs the risk of jeopardising patient safety and progress in the management of chronic health conditions and other illnesses.

“Over the summer, in the wake of the nursing home scandal, Ministers repeatedly spoke about the need to support people to remain in their homes for longer. Yet the reality is the Community Pharmacy Agreement does the exact opposite. It undermines the very tools that have enabled people to live independently and safely.

“Blister packs have become a straightforward measure that has supported community-based care and the independence of countless people for decades. Forcing the cost of this onto people will put huge pressure on families, carers and frontline services, while leaving vulnerable people exposed to greater risks and unnecessary hardship. There is no reason why this service which has been in place for decades would be excluded from the Community Pharmacy Agreement.

“I am calling on the Minister for Health to urgently intervene to put in place vulnerable patient hardship blister pack services this winter. Anything less will be an abdication of responsibility to older people, those with disabilities, and their families. Government must act now.”