Search the record

first 20 minutes of the debate that not one of the Deputies referenced the many constituents who have been paying for blister packs for some time. I know they have that information because my colleagues also represent those constituents. I also know from their social media accounts … many people have contacted them to tell them they have already been paying for blister packs for some time. They have been paying fees of €10 or €20 for some time. This is, and always has been, a private service. It was never funded by the State

that when we were talking about the community pharmacy agreement in October in this House, I raised issues about phased dispensing and blister packing. There was no action from the Minister or her Department. It is only when uproar has arisen in the past week that … responded to say that she has to try to work things out. We all know that blister packing is separate from phased dispensing, but the reality is that many pharmacists were using the money they were receiving for phased dispensing to put together blister packs for their patients

scheme operated by pharmacies is a disaster. The Government's decision means some of the most vulnerable people will no longer receive tablet blister packs free of charge. We are talking of tens of thousands of older people living with conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer's. They … rely on tablet blister packs to help manage their medication. We are also talking about people with disabilities who are under real pressure with the cost of living. The packs help them make sure they take the right dosage at the right time of day. The Government

need. Tá fáilte romhat, Cara. Since yesterday, the depth of public anger at the Government's decision to withdraw funding supports for blister pack medication has been laid bare. The reaction has been extraordinary. Pharmacists and carers have been inundated with messages of fear and disbelief. People … Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, is not budging. She is refusing to recognise the disaster she is presiding over. Vulnerable people who depend on blister packs are being told by a Fine Gael Minister they will face fees in the new year and are on their

Blister packs are fundamentally important. They are not a luxury; they are vital. I spoke to a pharmacist yesterday who explained what happens to dementia patients and patients with a cognitive impairment who are not on a blister pack. Many often end up going back into hospital because … They present back to the pharmacy, the GP and go into hospital when the medication is not provided to them in a blister pack. Blister packs reduce errors and prevent readmission to hospital. The cost to the pharmacy is enormous. On average, it takes about one hour

been reimbursed through the phased dispensing reimbursement mechanism, a practice which was widely known, accepted, and unchallenged by the Government; — MDS, such as blister packs, are an essential and basic tool for improving medication management and safety, and can be the difference between taking medicines safely and risking … included reimbursement for MDS where they are requested by a person's general practitioner or other appropriately qualified treating clinician; further notes that: — blister packs without subsidisation can cost an individual in the range of €20 to €50 a month, even more in some cases where a person

want to ask the Tánaiste about the Government's stance on scrapping the cost of blister packs for the consumer. A lady in my constituency said her 96-year old mother relied on her blister pack, as her eyesight is failing and she could not tell which tablet … which. An employee of a local pharmacy said that many of the patients who had prepacked blister packs knew exactly what meds to take. They felt safer knowing all they had to do was look at the packs. Safety is extremely important when taking medication. There will

knew this was happening back in September, when it went into negotiations with the pharmacy union. The Government knew the issues with blister pack charges. We are all TDs and we are all dealing with constituents day in and day out. I defy anyone in this House … known how blister packs were being distributed. The Government decided to go back into negotiations, get this done and save itself a couple of bob. My God, it could find €125 million for Ukraine the other day, just like that and no problem whatsoever, but it cannot find

custom and practice is the reality and the fact that there is no charge for blister packs. Whatever the ins and outs of this issue, the Minister and her Government are now placing the individual patients as pawns between the Department, the Government and the pharmacies. The buck … with the Minister. I am asking that the Minister does the right thing, the compassionate thing and stops any question of charging for blister packs either now or into the future. This issue reminds me of the blood test charge debacle. First, GPs started charging medical cardholders

complexity of ensuring that the right patient gets the right medicine. Initially, pharmacists offered an opt-in for an optional blister packing service. Then it became slightly more formal with the recognition of phased dispensing. That could be requested by a GP. In 2017, the HSE PRCS decided … million per annum in 2024. There are effectively three systems in place. The first is phasing without a blister pack, which is requested by a GP or a consultant. If a pharmacist recognises that a patient is having difficulty with his or her medicines, they can advise

than getting everything in one go. It is important that I clarify the difference between phased dispensing and what has become known as blister packs. The State has supported phased dispensing because it is a crucial patient safety initiative with antipsychotics and opioid drugs. The State has supported … relation to that. Community pharmacies receive an additional service fee for that service. The State does not fund and never has funded blister packs. There is no change to that service. There has been no removal of that service because that service did not exist funded

members to have more time to engage with patients in a structured way over the next three months. Charges for blister packing are currently a matter for individual pharmacies providing that service as a private business. It has always been a private service and we have heard … range of prices, if any, that pharmacists charge their patients. The State has never agreed to fund this monitored dosage system or blister packing. The HSE has consistently taken steps to inform the community pharmacists of this important distinction. The IPU is also aware of this issue

thank Deputy Cullinane for bringing forward this motion. The value of blister packs is far beyond the monetary cost of the plastic. They provide independence, confidence, reassurance and safety for patients and their families. They bring reassurance that patients will be safe and will be able to manage … anxiety. Numerous people have contacted my office. A good example was an elderly couple in their early 90s. They know the value of blister packs. When the lady did not have a blister pack, she overmedicated, took the wrong medication and ended up in the emergency department

This is a blister pack. This is the safest way to organise medications for older people, those with dementia and vulnerable people. Access to these blister packs is not optional; it is a life-saving measure. This blister pack is as important as the medications that are held … that the Government would sit down with the pharmacists and work out a deal so that people know they will have their blister packs in January. This has been raised repeatedly with me by constituents. The County Wicklow Network for Older People is very concerned about

past there was a system of phased dispensing that was paid for by the State. It evolved into patients getting blister packs. In disadvantaged areas and areas of low income many people who had blister packs had the cost covered by the Government. The Government recently brought … with pharmacists on the ground and there was no consultation with doctors or patients. Now there are no payments for phased dispensing or blister packs for those receiving one on a weekly basis. A lot of home help providers do not deal with medication unless

Most of us agree that blister packs are an essential and basic tool for improving medication management and safety. They can be the difference between taking medicines safely or risking missed doses, double dosing, or the all-too-familiar dangerous confusion for the recipient. We have all come … next day. When one is caring for a loved one with dementia or other conditions that can cause cognitive or mobility issues, blister packs are not an optional extra but a necessity. Blister packs without subsidisation can cost an individual in the range

Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025 outlines new service provisions and funding models for community pharmacies. Two areas of particular concern are the exclusion of blister packs or monitored dosage systems, MDS, from reimbursement under the agreement and restrictive provisions on phased dispensing, limiting its use and removing reimbursement … management for vulnerable patients and place additional strain on pharmacies, many of which currently provide these supports on a goodwill basis without funding. Blister packs or MDS help patients manage complex medication regimes safely and independently, reducing errors and hospital admissions. The new agreement explicitly excludes reimbursement

live independently - people who have a carer coming to the home. Carers cannot physically dispense the medication. They can just hand over the blister pack. Those with a visual impairment are also impacted. One pharmacist told me he only started to use phased dispensing some years ago when … person with a visual impairment came to him and said they wanted their medication to come in a blister pack. Phased dispensing could facilitate that arrangement. I do not propose to go backwards, but what we need to do is ensure that there is a new support service

Taoiseach's very cruel decision to withdraw funding for blister pack services has caused huge anger and worry. The Government's penny-pinching means that very vulnerable people will face charges of perhaps up to €50 a month for this service, a charge that many older people simply … cannot afford, and may be forced to go without their blister packs, putting their health and welfare at risk. It is particularly distressing for elderly people with dementia, Alzheimer's, or other serious conditions requiring multiple medications. For them, tablet blister packs are a lifeline to help them

answer it. I asked him the question, with respect, of whether he believes people with dementia and Alzheimer's who were receiving the blister packs free of charge should be charged for them from 1 January. No matter what way the Taoiseach presents it, these packs were being … talking to me this morning and his wife who is suffering with dementia will have to pay in January for the blister pack they were getting free of charge. Do not try to pull this one - that the Government is actually reducing the cost of medication - when people

touch with me to tell me how this was going to affect them or their loved one. Vulnerable users of the blister packs such as older people managing multiple medications, people living with early-stage dementia or Alzheimer’s disease or people with arthritis find blister packs really … little pill boxes for many years but now the home care provider has mandated that staff can only use medication from blister packs. This leaves her daughter worried that she might have to stop her medication, give up independent living and move into a nursing home, which would

first statement that funding for blister packs was being withdrawn sent shock waves into the hearts of the most vulnerable section of people in society, their families, carers and close relations. The second statement, that the Minister is pausing them until 2026, has added further to the confusion … thousands of people who mostly subsist on disability pensions and occupational injury pensions. The severe impact of withdrawing funding for blister pack medication is quite evident in the many emails and complaints I have received in my office from across County Wexford. I received correspondence from

absolute outcry. Elderly people in the UK are absolutely disgusted their Government did that. What the Government here is doing with blister pack charges is shocking. It is attacking the most vulnerable in society, namely, the elderly, the disabled and the sick. The Government knows that is whom … kind of underhanded charge. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. In fairness, it calls a spade a spade. The blister packs we are talking about cost anything from €20 to €50 and even more for complex medications. The charges will affect people with dementia

near the final furlong in the implementation of Sláintecare, a public health system, and we are nowhere near that, unfortunately. The importance of blister packs and the importance of having monitored dosage systems cannot be overstated. The health and safety of patients is paramount. The withdrawal of this … majority of them are pensioners, disabled people, or people on very low incomes. We are talking about the most vulnerable. The blister packs are simple and it is a safe way of ensuring people are taking the correct dosage at the right time at the correct time

Blister packs are essential for people who live with dementia. They are an essential part of the lives of people on medication who live at home. It is even essential for first aid responders who come to houses looking for people, as they know what they have taken … main point in the debate is that the blister packs are for the same people who have blisters on their hands from working all their lives to support the Government. These are the people who are now retiring. They are the same people to whom the Government gave

Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that pharmacies are charging up to €15 for issuing medications blister packed; if she is aware that blister packing multiple medications is often the safer option for many vulnerable people who have large volumes of medication

reading difficulties, people with mobility difficulties, elderly disadvantaged persons will not be impacted by the ceasing of free dispensing of prescription medication in blister packs in January 2026 as these persons rely on the provision of blister pack medication by pharmacies for safe self - medication

Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she will reconsider the decision to introduce a €5 weekly charge per patient for blister pack preparation from January 2026, in light of the impact this will have on elderly patients, many of whom rely on blister packs

Health if she is aware that survivors of industrial schools who hold enhanced medical cards are being charged for the preparation of blister packs for their prescribed medication; if she considers it appropriate that these vulnerable patients should incur such charges despite their enhanced entitlement to healthcare … will ensure that blister pack dispensing is provided free of charge to enhanced medical card holders who require it on clinical grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53060/26

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the rationale for treating monitored dosage systems, commonly known as blister packs, as a last-resort option under the GMS medicines optimisation support service which commenced on 1 June 2026; her response to concerns that patients in residential care … settings will no longer receive blister packs free of charge; the assessment her Department has carried out of the impact on nursing home residents and their families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53328/26

Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if she will urgently review the decision to remove State reimbursement for blister pack medication services; if she is aware that this change will allow pharmacies to introduce private fees of up to €50 per person per month … will outline the measures the Department is taking to prevent adverse impacts on patients who rely on blister packs for medication safety, adherence, and accuracy, particularly people with disabilities, older people and those with complex medication regimes; if she has considered the fact that the proposed change could

covered under the long-term illness scheme, is entitled as part of that scheme to have those medications dispensed in clinically required blister packs to enable safe administration in a home-care setting; if this service has been funded by the State to date; when any decision … limit such funding; the policy rationale for that decision; and if she will confirm that essential medication compliance supports, including pharmacist-prepared blister packing, will continue to be covered where clinically indicated. [8227/26

relation to the charging of GMS patients for the provision of MDS/Blister packs; her views on whether that providing required medication in blister packs to vulnerable patients is an essential health service to ensure proper dosage is received and to avoid overdosing and underdosing; and if she will

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to consider bringing forward legislation to provide free universal access to blister packs for patients from pharmacies. [68183/26

Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health to clarify the arrangements governing the provision of medication blister packs, also known as monitored dosage systems, by community pharmacies; the circumstances in which medical card holders may receive them without an additional charge where clinically required; whether people living

Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 461 of 2 July 2026, if a patient who was receiving blister packs free-of-charge prior to the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025 changes pharmacists, if this patient is still entitled to receive this service free

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether patients in receipt of free phased dispensing or blister packs in August 2025 will retain that support indefinitely under the GMS medicines optimisation support service; the arrangements for new patients who would previously have qualified

asked the Minister for Health the supports available to residents in an independent living facility, given that they are no longer eligible for blister packs free-of-charge following reforms (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50457/26

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the charging by pharmacists for blister packs, for those who can neither afford the new charges or take the risk of incorrect dosage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44944/26

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to clarify the position in relation to blister packs, including any associated costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44783/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether his Department has examined the role of repeat prescribing, automatic renewals, phased dispensing, blister-pack changes, and non-adherence in contributing to medicines waste; and whether any reform proposals are under consideration. [38766/26

Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the charging by pharmacists for blister packs given some pharmacists are now charging €5, €10 or €15 for these packs to medical card holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37778/26

Department has carried out, or commissioned, any assessment of the impact on persons with disabilities of the requirement to privately fund pharmacist-prepared blister packs and monitored dosage systems where such supports are recommended on safety grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33044/26

Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has examined the practice of pharmacies charging additional fees for dispensing medications in blister packs where this is clinically required, particularly for older persons with complex medication regimes; whether any guidance or regulation exists governing such charges under

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health for an update on her Department's engagement with pharmacists on the cost of blister packs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31131/26

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Health to respond to correspondence (details supplied) regarding the application of charges for blister packs, noting that phased dispensing is essential for patient safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24861/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if holders of a long-term illness card are entitled to receive blister packs (medication compliance aids) free of charge where they are clinically required; if this entitlement is provided for under the long-term illness scheme or other

Health whether her Department recognises that, for some people with disabilities and people receiving home-care supports, pharmacist-prepared monitored dosage systems, including blister packs, are clinically required to ensure safe medication administration and compliance; whether any national clinical guidance, policy circular, or Department-approved criteria exist

Health whether her Department has undertaken, or commissioned, any patient safety or risk assessment regarding the withdrawal or non-funding of pharmacist-prepared blister packs for people with disabilities or cognitive impairment who rely on such supports in a home-care setting; the findings of any such assessment

disability impact assessment, equality impact assessment, or human rights analysis in respect of the non-funding of monitored dosage systems, including blister packs, under the long-term Illness scheme; and if she will confirm whether the implications for people with disabilities living independently or with home-care supports