SOME 35 complaints were made about pharmacists last year to their regulatory body, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI).
The complaints, details of which are contained in the society's latest annual report published yesterday, related to a whole range of issues including the alleged supply of out-of-date medication, alleged dispensing errors, alleged inappropriate prescription management and issues around clinical practice including the care of methadone patients.
Dr Ambrose McLoughlin, chief executive officer and registrar of the society, said the majority of the complaints had now been dealt with and in three cases pharmacists had been prosecuted.
In other cases, pharmacists were issued with advice and guidance from inspectors and supported in improving their systems and processes, he said. They would also have been subjected to regular inspections.
"We only prosecute where we are satisfied matters are very serious," he said.
Dr McLoughlin stressed that the number of complaints against pharmacists last year, which were up six on the previous year, were very small in proportion to the numbers of prescriptions dispensed annually.
A fitness-to-practise regime for pharmacists did not yet exist but was due to come into effect in the next nine months, he confirmed.
The PSI has six inspectors and they conducted 138 inspections of pharmacies last year.
Dr McLoughlin said the number of inspectors was due to be tripled to 18 in the next two years as the society took on more responsibilities. At the end of last year, 4,504 pharmacists were registered, the highest figures recorded.
Meanwhile, society president Brendan Hayes has said if pharmacies were allowed to treat minor ailments it would save the health service a significant sum.
"The best use of valuable GP surgery time and medical resources needs to be carefully examined," Mr Hayes said.
"I believe pharmacies could be used much better in frontline healthcare. A good example of this would be in minor ailments.
"Scotland has an excellent scheme in operation since 2006 with 70,000 consultations a month in Scottish pharmacies, with the average cost of medicines prescribed by pharmacists under the scheme being lower than those prescribed by GPs under the same circumstances," he said.
"There would be dozens of ailments . . . that could be treated under the scheme, things like athlete's foot, smoking cessation, sore throats and hay fever," he added.