The GPhC has taken the rare step of writing to all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners to warn of “some emerging issues which have led to concerns being raised“. Unfortunately, the team and I have already seen all of these issues in the context of inquests and fitness to practise proceedings in which we’re instructed. The highlighted issues are:
~ Diversion of medicines by staff – Medicines ordered and stolen by members of staff
~ Checking addresses when supplying medicines at a distance – Distance-selling pharmacies sending medicines to vulnerable hospital patients
~ Supplying medicines overseas – Medicines being sent to countries in which they’re not licensed, or arriving there in unsafe condition
~ Advertising and promotion of medicines – Advertising of POMs/prescription-only medicines (still illegal despite all the ads for weight loss medications!)
~ Supplies of methadone and patient information leaflets (PILs) – Supplying oral methadone without written information
~ Yellow Card reporting for GLP-1s – The MHRA is very keen for pharmacy staff to make Yellow Card reports detailing suspected side effects to GLP-1 medicines.
It’s essential to both be aware of the GPhC’s correspondence and to act on it. In our experience, the GPhC will soon start to cite this correspondence in fitness to practise allegations, as has been the case with its 2019 correspondence entitled ‘Action required: supplying medicines online safely’.