A new paper, ‘30 Years Without Review’, was launched on Wednesday 1st of November by Fórsa and the National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians. The paper calls for the urgent regulation of their profession.

Speaking at the launch, Fórsa national secretary Linda Kelly called on the Minister for Health to make the necessary legislative amendments to introduce statutory regulation for hospital pharmacy technicians.

She said: “This is a seminal moment for the profession, it’s a statement of intent of our joint ambitions for the future. Most healthcare professionals in Ireland are regulated, but hospital pharmacy technicians are clearly at risk of becoming an outlier if their regulation is not addressed urgently.”

Statutory regulation is the application of standards to the profession so that the public and service users can be confident about the work the profession does.

Ms. Kelly said the next step will be engaging with every member of the Joint Oireachtas Health committee. Fórsa has also reached out to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and hopes for constructive engagement given the PSI’s recent statements in the workforce intelligence reports.

National Association of Hospital Pharmacy Technicians (NAHPT) officer Leonor O’Connor said “Despite our pivotal role, the lack of an official definition and regulatory framework in the Republic of Ireland is glaring.

“While NAHPT and Hospital Pharmacy Staff collaborate with select educational institutions to shape and assess Pharmacy Technician programmes, the absence of statutory regulation means that there is no standardised benchmark for education and training across all institutions in the country.

This gap leaves the profession without a protected title, coordinated professional development, consistency in the quality of care, and career progression prospects.

“Regulation is absolutely essential to maintain consistent high standards in our practice,” Ms. O’Connor added.

Hospital pharmacy technicians are skilled medical professionals responsible for a large remit of healthcare services. Some of their key responsibilities involve, but are not limited to, compounding chemotherapy drug treatments, administering to and counselling patients on drug treatments, managing hospital budgets for procurement, monitoring the use of regulated medications, reconstituting vaccines, and more.

Yet, in the Republic of Ireland there is no official definition for the hospital pharmacy technician role and no official regulation of education and training.

The full position paper including the detailed results of the joint Fórsa/NAPHT survey is available to view here.

There’s never been a better time to join a union, and it’s never been easier. Join Fórsa today.