The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7359 p115
23 July 2005

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· Registration examination
· Emergency supplies (2)
· Hospital pharmacy
· National boards (2)
· Reciprocity
· CPD
· Grandparent clauses

Letters to the Editor

Grandparent clauses

Possible scenario overlooked by Society

From Mr P. B. Dean, MRPharmS

May I point out an anomaly that seems to have been overlooked. Should a member decide to resign from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society but wish to continue to work as a part-time dispensing assistant (an unlikely, but not impossible, scenario) he or she would not be allowed to do so unless they undertake the appropriate national vocational qualification course (because the final date for notifying the competence of assistants under their “grandparent clause” has now passed).

Meanwhile, anyone who, though not a pharmacist, is an able dispensing assistant and whose competence declaration was signed before the date, will be able to work in a pharmacy, handling and assisting with prescriptions and, within the protocols, offering assistance and advice on medicines and so on to patients. There will be many members of the Society whose spouse, partner or employees are in that category. It is surely a ridiculous situation whereby the person who (in many cases) verified the competence of such assistants, would be themselves debarred from carrying out the same tasks.

Peter Dean
Holton, Oxford

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