To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to detail the outcomes of the pilot scheme providing rural community pharmacies with extra funding.

The Health and Social Care Board funded a pilot scheme to support access to pharmacy services in predominantly rural areas. The purpose of the pilot was to support patient access to pharmacy services and as such the pharmacies were required to provide services for a minimum of 40 hours per week over six days. A total of 74 pharmacies received funding.

The Board has completed an evaluation to assess the impact of the financial support. The evaluation has demonstrated that 9.4% of the pharmacies did not meet the requirement to provide services for a minimum of 40 hours per week over six days and that there was no increase in opening hours in 82% of the pilot pharmacies. However, the funding enabled 56% of pilot pharmacies to increase their staffing – primarily through an increase in pharmacy support staff hours.

The volume of dispensing increased by an average of 22% in pilot pharmacies, compared with an average increase of 18% across all other pharmacies. Twelve (16%) of the pharmacies reported that the funding had enabled them to remain open/financially viable.