The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced plans to enable pharmacists to extend the validity of prescriptions from the current maximum period of six months to one year.
The new measure will take effect from the 1st of March next year and will allow prescribers to write prescriptions with a maximum validity of 12 months, if they so wish.
The Expert Taskforce is made up of 13 experts with experience in pharmacy education and practice.
Its first report was delivered to the Minister this week.
The move will provide flexibility for patients who won’t need to visit a GP for a repeat prescription.
Prescribers will also be able to prescribe up to 12 months of medication where clinically appropriate to do so.
The new measure will help reduce the need for GP appointments for many groups of patients by ensuring that those who are stable on medication can avail of an extension of their prescription up to a maximum of 12 months.
If a doctor or other relevant prescriber provides a shorter prescription, the patient can then attend their pharmacist for assessment as to whether an extension of the
prescription, up to a maximum period of twelve months, is clinically suitable.
Pharmacists will have the power to extend prescriptions up to a maximum of one year for patients if they judge that it is appropriate to do so. However, they may
decide, following assessment, to refuse a patient’s request for extension of a prescription.
