My Department officials have engaged extensively with both the Department of Health and the HSE and the HEA regarding the expansion of healthcare disciplines, including Pharmacy. There is currently a system in place for the organisation of practice placements in the discipline of Pharmacy, this is called APPEL.
APPEL (Affiliation for Pharmacy Practice Experiential Learning) manages the experiential learning placements of the integrated pharmacy programmes of the three Schools of Pharmacy in Ireland. APPEL is a collaboration between University College Cork (UCC), the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and Trinity College Dublin (Trinity).
Recent expansion in pharmacy education has focused on strengthening regional provision, including the introduction of new pharmacy programmes at the University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University in 2025, and a further programme at South East Technological University commencing in 2026, alongside continued delivery by existing providers.
Clinical placement capacity is a critical consideration in pharmacy education. Experiential learning placements for integrated pharmacy programmes are coordinated nationally through APPEL at UCC, RCSI and TCD. The recently accredited programmes at ATU, SETU and the University of Galway have indicated their intention to apply for inclusion in the APPEL consortium, supporting a coordinated national approach to placement provision.
Responsibility for the organisation and availability of placement settings within the health service lies primarily with the Department of Health and the HSE. A national clinical placement mapping exercise, undertaken by the Higher Education Authority in collaboration with institutions, is intended to support more strategic, regionally informed planning for future expansion. As the regulator of the profession of pharmacist the PSI determine the requirements, both educational and clinical placements, to enter the pharmacy profession and are an integral part of programme validation for new programmes.
My Department is advised by the Department of Health of their workforce planning needs regarding medical and HSCP disciplines, including pharmacy, and determine projections of workforce demands in the short and medium term for the health sector.
