Archive 2012
PSI Delivers Influenza Vaccine Report to Minister for Health
July 09, 2012
The Report by the Risk Review Group into the causes of the underdosing of some patients with seasonal influenza vaccine has been given by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), the Pharmacy Regulator, to the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly TD.
The findings and recommendations of the Risk Review Group, established independently to review and report on the underdosing in some pharmacies, were welcomed by the PSI. “The Report’s insights are extremely useful, not just for pharmacy but for the health sector generally, including other healthcare professionals who are also involved in vaccinations,” PSI Acting Registrar, Ciara McGoldrick said. “Learnings from this report will be incorporated into future training and development programmes and by the new Irish Institute of Pharmacy, which will oversee the management and delivery of continuing professional development (CPD) for pharmacists in Ireland.”
“The Review Group’s findings support initiatives to maximise seasonal influenza vaccination uptake. It has concluded that measures to increase uptake should be strongly encouraged and facilitated, including the increased accessibility provided through pharmacist participation. Vaccinations by pharmacists will again be happening this year and this report will be a valuable learning tool in this process. It is vitally important to have an open environment for patients and this report contributes significantly in this respect. On behalf of the PSI, I would like to thank all those who participated in the review, especially the patients who were originally affected and who have given extremely valuable feedback subsequently.”
The PSI Risk Review Group was established to independently examine and report on the causes of the underdosing of some patients with seasonal influenza vaccine by certain pharmacists during the 2011/2012 season. It produced eight key recommendations.
The report in full is available to view and download here.
Note: The composition of the Review Group included:
- Professor Peter Weedle (Chair), adjunct Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the School of Pharmacy in University College Cork, community pharmacist and former member of the PSI Council;
- Mr Raymond Anderson, community pharmacist and pharmacist prescriber, former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland and current President of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association;
- Dr Kevin Connolly, Consultant Paediatrician, member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and chair of NIAC sub-committee on childhood vaccines, Irish representative on the European Medicines Agency Paediatric Committee and member of Advisory Committee on Human Medicines (IMB);
- Dr Brenda Corcoran, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE National Immunisation Office (NIO) and member of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC);
- Ms Mary Culliton former Director of Advocacy with the Quality and Patient Safety Directorate of the HSE and former Head of Consumer Affairs within the HSE;
- Ms Marie McConn, community pharmacist, former member of the PSI Council, the Irish Medicines Board and former President of the Irish Pharmacy Union;
- Mr Stephen McMahon, Chief Executive Officer at Irish Patients Association, a member of Registration and Qualification Recognition Committee of the PSI Council and Chair of the Audit, Risk and Governance Committee of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU);
- Mr Tom McGuinn, former Chief Pharmacist of the Department of Health, former member of the Advisory Committee on Human Medicines (IMB) and of the GMS Payments Board and currently Pharmacy Policy Advisor to the PSI.
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