Clarification on personal control
Following a recent
ruling by the chairman of the Statutory Committee
(PJ, 7 August, p203), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs Directorate has received queries
seeking
clarification.
All supplies of prescription-only medicines (POMs) and pharmacy (P) medicines
from registered retail pharmacy premises must be made under the supervision
of a pharmacist. Sales of general sale list (GSL) medicines do not require
supervision, but do require a pharmacist to be in personal control of
the premises. Thus, if a pharmacist is not in personal control, for instance
because he is late attending or he has left for the afternoon, no sales
of medicines can be made, and this includes general sale list medicines.
The chairman’s ruling was that if a pharmacist was not in personal
control, the premises could remain open for trading as long as nothing
requiring the presence of a pharmacist (ie, POMs, Ps and GSLs) is sold.
However, pharmacists should also be aware that the use of restricted
titles such as “chemist” and “pharmacy” can only
be used in connection with retail sales of any goods where they are being
sold from registered retail pharmacy premises under the personal control
of a pharmacist. Therefore, if restricted titles are used and a pharmacist
has to leave the premises, the safest option may be to close the pharmacy
premises. Where the pharmacy is in contract with a primary care trust
to provide NHS services, the PCT should be contacted for advice. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal