National Health Summit 2024
About the National Health Summit 2024
- The National Health Summit 2024 was held in Croke Park on Wednesday 7 February where IPU PCC Chair Kathy Maher participated in a panel discussion titled "Taking Action to Move Care Closer to Home." Joining her on the panel were Tadhg Daly from Nursing Home Ireland, Dr. Elizabeth Aitken Consultant Physician in General & Elderly Medicine, Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust, and Dr. John Cuddihy, National Director of Public Health, HSE.
- Addressing an audience comprised of health leaders, decision-makers, and key policymakers, Kathy underscored the invaluable contribution of community pharmacy to the healthcare sector. She emphasised the untapped potential that could be unlocked with adequate resources for pharmacies, highlighting the urgent need to address the inequality stemming from the 16-year fee freeze.
- Kathy also seized the opportunity to inform the large audience that there is more that pharmacies can do particularly around minor ailments and accessing contraception and emphasised that allowing pharmacists to therapeutically substitute would go some way to alleviating ongoing medicine shortages.
- She flagged the urgent requirement for recruiting a Chief Pharmaceutical Officer to develop policy and strategy at department level, to enable change and full utilisation of community pharmacists. Further details from the event will be available on the IPU website in the next few days.
