Northern Ireland community pharmacists vote for industrial action

High street pharmacists, who dispense one million NHS prescriptions every week in Northern Ireland, have said they are being forced to take the action to ensure the safety of patients.

It comes after talks between Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland and the Department of Health failed to reach an agreement.

Pharmacists in Northern Ireland have repeatedly said severe underfunding of the key NHS service means they are increasingly unable to pay wholesaler bills for medication.

This has resulted in patients experiencing difficulties in getting their medication.

Pharmacists recovering from surgery have also reported leaving hospital against medical advice because they cannot afford to pay for cover at their premises.

No date has yet been set for the beginning of the unprecedented industrial action, although services have already been disrupted as a result of the ongoing funding row, as pharmacists reduce services and opening hours in a bid to make ends meet.

Gerard Greene, chief executive of Community Pharmacy NI, said: "We have been warning the Department for years of this growing crisis.

"A litany of unresolved issues stemming from sustained underfunding now means that community pharmacists have reached breaking point.

"The decision to take action is not one reached lightly and we regret that the refusal of the Department to address this crisis has brought us to this, but our network is at the point where the safe delivery of crucial frontline services for patients could be compromised.

"Over 123,000 people visit pharmacies in Northern Ireland every single day.

"The ability to access this service and professional advice keeps people out of GP surgeries and hospitals.

"Community pharmacists already play an enhanced role in transforming our health service but until the Department engages in meaningful talks to stabilise community pharmacy funding and address the current issues, then it is only paying lip service."

Any industrial action by the community pharmacy sector will be a hammer blow to official efforts to shift more work out of hospitals and into the community.

Under efforts to reform the health service and drive down spiralling hospital waiting lists, more work is being done in the primary care sector.

Community Pharmacy NI has been campaigning for increased funding for the service, while a number of reports have called for more money for the key NHS service.

A PwC report, commissioned by the Department of Health, said community pharmacy in Northern Ireland is underfunded each year to the tune of £20m.

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee released a report late last year calling for Stormont to resolve the funding crisis.

Despite this, the permanent secretary for the Department of Health, Richard Pengelly, said he disagreed with the findings of the PwC report.

Community pharmacist Loretto McManus said: "Morale in the sector is at an all-time low, so the result of this ballot is no surprise.

"The refusal by the Department to acknowledge that there are serious issues in our sector is a significant problem and has led us to this outcome.

"Dispensing medicines is a role that is critical in maintaining the health of all the patients in our communities.

"It requires focus and attention to detail, when we have reached a point where we are now working excessive hours and the pharmacist's health and mental wellbeing is compromised due to the unrelenting pressures, then we have serious concerns for patient safety that need to be put right immediately.

"Expert reports on transforming our health service say we must enhance community services to keep people out of hospital.

"The refusal to properly resource and support services like community pharmacy is a total contradiction of this."

Meanwhile, Health Minister Robin Swann has said he is due to meet with Community Pharmacy NI in the coming weeks, and urged it to reconsider plans for industrial action.

"Its announcement of planned industrial action is regrettable and surprising," he said.

"I am very aware of the challenges within community pharmacy, including the need for greater funding certainty.

"My Department has been working with Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland on a programme of reform including new services, development of the pharmacy workforce, and updated arrangements for reimbursing community pharmacists for medicines dispensed.

"I want to assure patients that contingency measures will be developed to minimise the impact of any industrial action."