Society and DoH in talks on supervision, personal control and GSLs
The October Council
meeting heard that (as briefly reported last week, p542) the Society is in talks with the Department of Health over the interpretation of the Medicines Act 1968 requirements in relation to personal control and the supply of general sale list medicines from pharmacies in the absence of a pharmacist. In addition, the Council heard, the whole issue of supervision and personal control is to be examined by the Law and Ethics Policy Committee.
The matter of GSL supplies was raised by Graham Phillips, who drew attention
to a letter in The Pharmaceutical Journal (PJ, 2 October, p465) “pointing
out the absurdity whereby a supermarket can continue to sell GSL products
because part of it is registered and part of it is not, and asking the
question: why couldn’t a small pharmacy do likewise?” Mr
Phillips said that the accompanying response from the Society was unhelpful
and “does nothing to help the status of this building with our
profession”. He asked for an assurance that the Council would do
something swiftly to resolve that kind of concern from the membership.
The Secretary and Registrar said: “We are aware of the issue of
GSL medicines. The law is, however, the law at the moment. We are in
discussion with the Government because we will have to go back to Government
to give an indication of how they would wish the law to be interpreted.”
The President acknowledged that there were membership concerns and asked
everybody to be patient. “I can assure you,” he said, “that
within the office we are discussing with the Government the interpretation
of the Act. So it is going to happen. But at the moment, I am afraid
the issue is cloudy and necessarily so. Until we get that clarification,
and a fuller understanding, we are not able to give a great deal more
helpful guidance.”
David Pruce, the Society’s director of practice and quality improvement,
said that it was a contentious area that had caused a lot of problems
to pharmacists. However, it was not one that the Society had the power
to sort out because it was part of the Medicines Act. “We are aware
of the anomaly,” he said. “We are also aware that the Department
is going to issue a consultation shortly, but we do not know exactly
when, around this issue. We are in discussions with the Department over
finding a solution in the short term, whereas the longer-term solution
is adjusting the Medicines Act itself. Both, however, are out of our
direct control to change.”
The President said that it had already been decided that the matter should
come through for further discussion by the Law and Ethics Policy Committee.
Sultan Dajani said that there was also the linked problem of some supermarkets
selling GSLs in quantities that would make them pharmacy medicines. He
would like to see that raised with the Department of Health.
The President said that that would also be taken on board by the Law
and Ethics Policy Committee. The committee would look at the whole issue
of supervision and personal control. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal