A shortage of hospital pharmacists means some cancer patients have to travel for chemotherapy because their local hospital lacks the facility to make up the medicines prescribed. However, community pharmacies in the private sector can pay higher salaries than hospitals and attract staff away from the hospitals.
The career structure for hospital pharmacists is seen as antiquated and unattractive.
Some pharmacists have been in temporary posts for up to 10 years because of the failure by health board hospitals to advertise, according to the Hospital Pharmacists' Association of Ireland. About one-quarter of the 160 or so posts for hospital pharmacists are vacant. The association believes up to 50 more posts need to be created.
Many hospital pharmacists are unable to undertake extra training by, for instance, attending postgraduate conferences, because the hospital cannot release them if it has only one or two pharmacists.
The situation regarding hospital pharmacists illustrates how staffing problems in health professions which receive little public attention have a serious effect on the quality of service to patients.