Pharmacy Service


The Irish Prison Service (IPS) Pharmacy Service ensures the safe, effective and appropriate use of medicines across the prison estate, supporting patient safety, clinical governance and continuity of care.

The Pharmacy Service is led by IPS-employed pharmacists who provide strategic and clinical leadership across the prison estate. They manage pharmacy service contracts, develop medicines management policies, write clinical guidelines and protocols, undertake quarterly prescribing audits, provide professional advice to healthcare staff, and lead medication safety and quality improvement initiatives to support the safe and effective use of medicines.

Day-to-day pharmacy services are provided through contracts with community pharmacies, delivering both the technical supply of medicines and professional pharmaceutical care. All prescriptions are clinically reviewed by a pharmacist and dispensed on an individual patient basis, supporting safe prescribing and continuity of care when people in custody transfer between prisons or return to the community.

The Pharmacy Service also supports the implementation of In-Possession (IP) medication schemes, allowing suitable people in custody to self-administer prescribed medicines following individual clinical and security risk assessments. This promotes patient autonomy while maintaining patient safety.

The pharmacy team engage with national procurement processes and monitor medicines expenditure to ensure cost-effective use of medicines across the Irish prison estate.