To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the steps he is taking to ensure adequate numbers of pharmacists are working in Northern Ireland, particularly in rural locations.

My Department published its Pharmacy Workforce Review and associated Action Plan on 9th November 2020. The Review contains an analysis of the current pharmacy workforce in Northern Ireland. The Action Plan sets out a suite of proposed actions against each of the recommendations made in the report, including a number of actions around how to increase the number of pharmacists and community pharmacists in Northern Ireland. A Steering Group has since been established to oversee implementation of the Action Plan. A copy of the published report and Action Plan can be viewed at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/pharmacy-workforce-review-2019

A pharmacy workforce attract, retain and recruit campaign was launched in November 2020 by the Pharmacy Forum NI. In partnership with the Department, the aim is to attract qualified pharmacists from other jurisdictions to take up employment opportunities in Northern Ireland, as well as seeking to encourage newly qualified pre-registration pharmacists to remain here and promote vacancies across all settings and locations including rural. A successful virtual careers event was held last summer to attract school leavers to Pharmacy courses and a support network of Pharmacy Champions has now been established across Northern Ireland. In addition, Belfast Healthy Cities have developed and are piloting a Pharmacy Schools Programme to promote the role of the Pharmacist to primary school pupils, for roll out this year.

In addition, my Department is working also with the Department for the Economy and local universities to ensure that the necessary number of pharmacy graduates are available to meet workforce demands, which has included developing options to increase the number of pharmacist undergraduates studying in our universities. To help retain students in Northern Ireland to complete their foundation training, remuneration for community pharmacy placements was once again increased this year.

My Department is also providing significant funding to support the introduction of the new UK wide regulatory reforms to transform the initial education and training of pharmacists here, by providing an extended, more clinically-led, career long framework of education and training. This will lead to the wider adoption of prescribing rights, further development of clinical leadership and expansion of consultant pharmacist roles for qualified pharmacists. Furthermore my Department will be launching a consultation of the statutory regulation of pharmacy technicians. This will create a new profession of specially trained workers who will expand the skill mix within pharmacy teams and facilitate an expansion of clinical roles for pharmacists.