Comment on the code

After a long gestation, and the culmination of a review of the profession’s Code of Ethics by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ethics working party, the proposed revised code is published as a “pull-out” section in the centre of this week's issue (pp325–32).

Comments that the working party received in response to the earlier consultation document published in September, 1999, have been taken on board, and recent legislative changes, most notably the Competition Act, have also influenced the development of the current document.

Pharmacists familiar with the old Code of Ethics — with its three-tier structure of Principles, Obligations and Guidance and its supplementary Standards of Good Professional Practice — may barely recognise the format and structure of the revised code, but the fundamental ethical principles of beneficence, competence and integrity which have underpinned the profession's ethical standing since its inception are very much in evidence.

Part 1 and Sections B and C of Part 2 were adopted at the annual general meeting in May, 2000, and so should be familiar to many pharmacists. Section A of Part 2, “Standards of Professional Performance”, represents a significant departure. It seeks to identify the personal responsibilities associated with specific roles pharmacists undertake. Notably, the revised code requires records to be kept identifying the pharmacist accountable for the provision of each pharmacy service — a requirement that is likely to take on greater significance as pharmacists’ roles develop and evolve in the new NHS.

The changes in format are to be welcomed. Previous versions of the code were based on a list of prohibitions and proscribed behaviours. The new document aims to encourage pharmacists to use their own professional judgment when faced with ethical issues and dilemmas. It also provides a framework within which pharmacists can develop high quality professional services. In other words, the rule book approach has been replaced by guidance that pharmacists must interpret and adapt to ensure that pharmacy services are of the highest quality.

The last time the Code of Ethics was revised on this scale was in 1992, so that further major revisions are unlikely much before 2010 — although the code is continually evolving. Nevertheless, it is important for pharmacists who have a view on the contents to heed the working party's invitation to comment on the revised code as the document is on the point of being set in stone — for a few years at least. Comments should be sent to the ethics working party (see p325) no later than the end of this month, so that they may be considered before the document is put to the annual general meeting for adoption in May.

Back to Top