What Obstructs Health Policy Implementation? A Multi-Method Qualitative Case Study of the Delayed Deployment of Community Pharmacies in Ireland’s National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were months of delay in deploying community pharmacies for the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme in Ireland. We aimed to explore what may have accounted for this delay between 15th December 2020 (publication of policies) and 14th June 2021 (commencement of community pharmacy-based vaccination). We carried out a multi-method qualitative case study that involved engaging with 11 stakeholders, reviewing 246 documents, and conducting semi-structured interviews with 11 policy elites. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed three themes. The first provides evidence that the delay was, in part, due to operational barriers related to the logistical and safety aspects of the Programme. The second, on the other hand, presents a perspective that the delay was unreasonable as it was based on perceived deficits in community pharmacies. Finally, the third highlights the inability of the pharmacy profession to influence health policy due to a lack of strategic and cohesive leadership and the dominance of the medical profession. Overall, we argue that the delay can be explained by a complex interplay between technical, socio-political, institutional, and regulatory factors, underpinned by a chronic lack of strategic direction for pharmacy in the Irish health system.