To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of the Band 6 rate of pay for practice-based pharmacists in comparison to the higher pay rates of other multi-disciplinary team members.

My Department is aware of the various issues regarding rates of pay for practice-based pharmacists employed by GP Federations which you have raised. I can assure you that such issues are already subject to ongoing discussions between the Department of Health (DoH) and key stakeholders.

The GP Pharmacist Oversight Board was established by the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) within the DoH in December 2023. The group brings together representatives from all key stakeholder groups, including SPPG, DoH, GP Federations and GPC (General Practitioners Committee) to facilitate collaborative working to optimise the working arrangements of the GPP workforce, in line with strategic priorities of the DoH Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework. The group will oversee the delivery of the service and facilitate discussion and resolution to issues, including pay bands and workforce development, for the GPP workforce employed in General Practices. The group aims to progress these issues in line with DoH strategic direction and the Pharmacy Workforce Review, which is being progressed through Service Delivery and Service Development subgroups.

I will continue to liaise with my adviser and work closely with stakeholders over the following months to address the issues to which this question refers