Nursing union opposes pharmacist home visits

Nursing unions have criticized a proposal by the Order of Pharmacists to introduce pharmaceutical home visits for elderly patients, calling it a "false good idea" and suggesting it could create unnecessary overlap in healthcare services.

Nurses already handle medication tasks at home

The Fédération Nationale des Infirmiers (FNI), the main nursing union, stated that freelance nurses already perform key roles in home-based medication support. These include verifying prescriptions, monitoring medication intake, detecting side effects, and coordinating with physicians, including the preparation of pill organizers.

Nursing law reinforces existing roles

The June 2025 nursing law reinforced these competencies, and the 11th amendment to the agreement for freelance nurses aims to strengthen clinical and therapeutic monitoring at home. The FNI emphasized that these roles are already legally recognized and should not be duplicated by pharmaceutical home visits.

Union highlights risks of overlapping services

The FNI argued that a one-time pharmaceutical home visit would only "capture" a risk at a single point in time, while nurses, who are regularly present, monitor risks over time. This, they said, could lead to redundant interventions and unnecessary additional funding for tasks already covered.

Nurses call for better coordination, not more intervenors

The union is advocating for better coordination of existing healthcare professionals rather than introducing new ones. They suggested improving access to nursing support, sharing medication reviews from pharmacies, granting nurses access to dispensation data, and enhancing digital communication between professionals.