Dispensing fees in Ireland have been expanded for vulnerable patients following negotiations between the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and the Health Services Executive (HSE).
In Ireland, pharmacists are paid dispensing fees for splitting up and supplying medications, with extra fees for blister packs or phased dispensing.
Pharmacists will now receive an additional fee when dispensing medicines to vulnerable patients, which is “€0.35 per General Medical Services scheme (GMS) item dispensed”.
Stable fee
This is replacing the previous system of “rigid phased dispensing fees”, which means pharmacists will get paid a more stable fee per GMS item, replacing the additional fees linked specifically to how often medicines are split or dispensed under current phased dispensing arrangements.
The GMS provides free or low-cost medical care for eligible patients, such as those on a low-income or those over 70.
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Pharmacists will also receive a €32.50 Enhanced Medicines Optimisation Support Fee, paid monthly per patient for supporting those “who clinically require their medicines to be dispensed more frequently than weekly”.
The government has allocated €24m for the €0.35 GMS medicines optimisation fee and €4.5m from the CPA medicines optimisation fund to support the €32.50 Enhanced Medicines Optimisation Support Fee.
This fee is to help support patients with complex needs with “adjustments to facilitate use of original packaging”.
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This could be “medication reminder systems”, “administration charts”, “installment dispensing” and then dispensing “blister packs where clinically necessary”.
They are for patients who have a “diagnosed cognitive impairment or dementia, intellectual disability, physical impairment or those patients at risk of medication misuse”.
The government is advising away from dispensing blister packs for vulnerable patients as they “can negatively impact patient independence”, but when suitable for these patients they will now be free.
After union discussions, the system was changed to “flexible, patient focused Medicines Optimisation supports”, allowing “community pharmacists to focus on direct patient care”.
“Greater flexibility”
Fine Gael’s minister for health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said, “we are recognising the vital role of community pharmacists, giving them greater flexibility to use their professional judgment and putting patient care at the centre of health services.”
“These reforms will ensure that the right supports are provided to patients who need them the most, while safeguarding public funds,” she added.
The IPU’s President Tom Murray said this agreement was “a significant development for patients and for the wider health service”.
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He said, “it puts in place a robust, structured support that will improve how medicines are managed in the community while building on the ongoing expansion of the role of pharmacists.”
Last month the Irish government announced that patients would be able to claim a 20% tax relief on certain pharmacy services.
From March 12, 2026 patients have been able to claim tax relief from healthcare services relating to the common conditions service.
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In November, it was also announced that in the UK NHS prescriptions charges would be frozen for 2026 to 2027.
The treasury said that keeping prescriptions at £9.90 would be “saving patients around £12 million next year”.