Regulatory update

 

Electronic Record Keeping in Community Pharmacy

Due to the amendments made by the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. No. 138/2026) and the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (S.I. No. 139/2026), pharmacies may, if they wish, maintain the following records in electronic format from 30 June 2026 provided their pharmacy software system meets the criteria outlined in legislation:

• Controlled Drug Register;
• Prescription register (daily audit); and
• Prescriptions transferred via Healthmail or the High-Tech Hub.

Before adopting electronic record-keeping through the implementation of a new records management system, those in a statutory governance role should conduct a risk assessment of the proposed practice. The purpose of this risk assessment is to identify any potential risks associated with, or that could arise during and/or after, the implementation of the new process. The risk assessment should also include remedial actions to mitigate identified risks and ensure that the process supports and promotes patient safety. For example, if prescriptions received at the pharmacy via Healthmail or the High-Tech Hub are not printed for paper-based endorsement and record-keeping, those in a statutory governance role should, at a minimum, consider the following:

• Engaging with pharmacy software vendors to ensure the system meets the criteria outlined in the legislation;
• Reviewing the dispensing workflow;
• Identifying any additional equipment required to ensure the safe review of electronic prescriptions;
• Establishing appropriate systems for the storage and retrieval of electronic prescriptions;

• Developing a contingency plan in the event of a power outage or system downtime, where patients’ electronic prescriptions may not be accessible;
• Implementing a disaster recovery (DR) plan or backup solution;
• Identifying pharmacy staff training needs (including locum pharmacists and/or locum pharmacy technicians);
• Determining how the changes will be communicated to the pharmacy team; and
• Gathering feedback from the pharmacy team on the new process.

The PSI conducted a public consultation on the revised draft PSI Guidelines on Record-Keeping in Retail Pharmacy Businesses, which closed on 19 May 2026. The updated guidance will be published in due course following the PSI Council’s consideration of the consultation report and the proposed guidelines.  

IPU practice support

The IPU Medicines Optimisation page has been updated to include additional resources and templates designed to support community pharmacists in delivering a Medicines Optimisation Service to members of the public. Updates include:

• Medicines optimisation flow chart;
• Medicines optimisation poster; and
• Instalment collection record form.

For more information, visit ipu.ie > Medicines Optimisation.   Useful reference source (**) World Breastfeeding week runs from 1 to 7 August. The UK Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) provides evidence-based information and advice to healthcare-professionals on the use of medicines during breastfeeding, see sps.nhs.uk > Guidance > Safety in breastfeeding.   In July 2024 the IPU Review carried an article ‘Pharmacist resources for the supply of prescription or OTC medications to pregnant or breastfeeding patients in a community pharmacy’, which also provided useful information on managing queries from breastfeeding mothers on medicines use while breastfeeding. It is available at ipu.ie/ipu-review > Previous articles.   **External references are provided for information purposes only. IPU takes no responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy of the contents of, or information contained in, these references. Neither does IPU make any representation that the information contained at the link is appropriate or suitable for use in an Irish community pharmacy setting, or that it complies with any legal or regulatory requirements as they apply to community pharmacy practice in Ireland. Pharmacists should ensure that in all cases they use their own independent professional judgement, taking into account the individual circumstances that apply for their patient(s) and practice setting.  

Professional guidance

 

Medicines Management Programme (MMP) Preferred Drug — Proton-Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)

The HSE MMP recently published an updated report, which reviewed the choice of preferred PPI for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in adults. The MMP aims to promote safe, effective and cost-effective prescribing. This report can be accessed at healthservice.hse.ie/staff > Information for healthcare professionals > Medicines Management Programme > Preferred drugs > MMP Evaluation Report Preferred Drugs — PPIs.   The review considered the following criteria: licensed therapeutic indications, clinical outcome data, international clinical guidelines, adverse drug reaction profiles, cautions and contraindications, drug interaction profiles, patient factors, cost and national prescribing trends. The report advises that, when reviewing a patient, clinicians should consider switching to pantoprazole if ongoing treatment is required, and aim to reduce the dose to the lowest effective level, with a view to deprescribing where appropriate.   There are five licensed PPIs reimbursed in Ireland: esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole. According to this report, the HSE expenditure on PPIs in 2025 reached approximately €61 million, with esomeprazole accounting for approximately 47 per cent. However, the report concludes that pantoprazole remains the MMP’s preferred proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for treating GORD. The HSE Tips and Tools document is available at healthservice.hse.ie/staff > Information for healthcare professionals > Medicines Management Programme > Preferred drugs > MMP Tips and Tools Preferred Drugs. It provides guidance on supporting patients receiving long-term treatment for GORD and dyspepsia to gradually reduce their medication use in a stepwise manner, unless there is a clear indication for ongoing long-term therapy.   Recommendations for a stepwise approach to stepping down and deprescribing PPIs:

1. Reduce to the lowest effective dose of PPI;
2. Reduce to ‘as needed’ PPI use, when appropriate; and
3. Stop PPI when appropriate and provide advice on self-treatment with an antacid and/or alginate therapy.

  Image 1: An example of an approach to assist in stepping down and deprescribing a PPI in GORD Source: MMP Tips and Tools Preferred Drugs   The approach to stepping down a PPI should be individualised in consultation with the patient. A patient can move between the different step-down options, depending on their level of symptom control. Rebound acid hypersecretion resulting in an increase in reflux and dyspepsia symptoms, may occur during deprescribing. To help limit the occurrence:

• Dose can be reduced gradually;
• Counsel patients about the risk of an increase in these symptoms; and
• Advise patients to manage such symptoms with an antacid and/or alginate.