Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
1140. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the clinical or professional guidance her Department relies upon when stating that monitored dosage systems should be used only as a last resort; the source of that guidance; whether it has been formally adopted in Ireland; and if she will confirm whether any Irish clinical standard governs access to medication compliance supports for vulnerable patients living in the community. [12154/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is currently no Irish clinical standard governing access to medication compliance supports, (also known as "blister packs"), for any patient population. The provision of blister packs has always been a private service.
Pharmacists in Ireland must ensure that their practice, at all times, is guided by the principles set out in the statutory Code of Conduct for Pharmacists (www.psi.ie/practice-supports/code-conduct). When supplying medicines to patients in a blister pack, the pharmacist must be satisfied that they are meeting principle one; “put the patient first”, as outlined in the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland's (PSI) Code of Conduct for Pharmacists (www.psi.ie/sites/default/files/2024-06/PSI's%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202019.pdf).
PSI have specific guidelines on the supply of prescription medicines in Guidelines to Support Medicine Therapy Review, Counselling and Prescription Extension (www.psi.ie/practice-supports/guidance-and-guidelines-pharmacists-and-pharmacies/guidelines-support-medicine) and guidelines on the supply of medicines to patients in residential care setting (www.psi.ie/sites/default/files/2024-06/Supply-of_Medicines_to_Patients_in_Residential_Care_Settings_Nursing_Homes.pdf).
There are a number of UK clinical and pharmacy organisations that have specific guidance on the use of MDS, also referred to as Multi-compartment Compliance Aids (MCAs). Specifically, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have both said that MCAs should not be the first-choice intervention to help people manage their medicines. They recommend that the use of original packs of medicines should be the preferred choice for the supply of medicines in the absence of a specific need for an MCA in all settings.
Specific to NICE guidelines, MDS is only one of a variety of interventions to support adherence. NICE Clinical guideline CG76 states that "any interventions to support adherence should be considered on a case by case basis and should address the concerns and needs of individual patients".
