Pharmacy services for Castlerea prison valued at €1m

A contract to provide general pharmacy services to prisoners at Castlerea Prison is valued at €1m, according to a recent tender advertised by the Irish Prison Service (IPS).

The prison service is seeking a pharmacist to continue to provide an “up-to-date, patient centred” general pharmacy service as part of a 48 month contract.

“This presents a unique and challenging opportunity to interested pharmacists to extend their practice into this different and rewarding area of practice,” said the prison service in its tender documents.

The IPS estimates that the expenditure on these services could amount to €1m (excluding VAT) over the term of the contract and any possible extensions.

There are no pharmacists employed directly in any Irish prison for the provision of these services, which are provided on the basis of a contract with a community pharmacy.

The successful contractor will be expected to work with the IPS chief pharmacist and prison management and healthcare staff to ensure the delivery of this service.

According to the tender, drug treatment services or the supply of methadone will not form part of this service requirement.

The IPS points out that the average weekly total number of prisoners on medications is 315.

Among the requirements for the successful contractor will be to provide a pharmacy service on “an equivalent basis to that provided to those in the general population who are entitled to GMS services”, and dispense and deliver new prescriptions for individual patients on a daily basis.

Regular visits to the prison will also be needed.

These visits will be required to “provide pharmaceutical care and to meet and work with prescribers and local healthcare staff to ensure safe, efficient and cost effective use of medicines”.

In the tender documents, the prison service outlines that healthcare provided to prisoners is mostly primary care with some secondary care services.

“No in-patient care is provided within Irish prisons. In-reach secondary care may include treatment and care by psychiatrists, specialists in substance abuse and other specialists, while all other secondary care is provided by acute hospitals in the Irish health service,” it said.

“The IPS aims to deliver a quality of healthcare reflective of that available to those holding medical cards in the wider community, taking into consideration the constraints that custody imposes.

“Patients in prison have as much right to expect professional standards of healthcare as any member of the public and it is incumbent on the IPS to ensure that primary healthcare services, including pharmacy services, are of a required standard to meet these expectations. It has long been accepted that primary care in prison should be equivalent to that available in the community.

“Emphasis should be placed upon treating patients as individuals with healthcare needs irrespective of the context in which they themselves may be placed and irrespective of their offence,” said the IPS in its tender.