A delegation from the IPU met with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD on 15 November to discuss Safe Pharmacy. Kathy Maher, Chair of the IPU’s Pharmacy Contractors Committee (PCC), Tara Kelly, Medicines Information Pharmacist, IPU, and Joyce Mulpeter, Member Relationship Manager, IPU, welcomed Minister McEntee’s support for Safe Pharmacy. The delegation briefed Minister McEntee on progress with the service thus far, and the Justice Minister said she would encourage all pharmacies to nominate a champion and be a part of this important service.
Launched in 2022 as a partnership between the IPU, Safe Ireland, An Garda Síochána and the HSE, Safe Pharmacy has participating pharmacies in every county in Ireland, with 1,086 operating nationwide. Each Safe Pharmacy has specially trained staff who will assist anyone who requests it by providing access to a phone in a private consultation room and contact details for local support services. The scheme is designed to facilitate victims, in a secure and discrete setting, to make contact with a family member, local specialist domestic violence services or An Garda Síochána to seek further help.
To mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November, the IPU also issued a press release to again highlight that ‘Safe Pharmacies’ are available to offer support for people in domestic abuse situations. Further information on Safe Pharmacy, including how to sign up as a participating pharmacy, is available at ipu.ie > Safe Pharmacy.
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