Council agrees fundamental review of Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics and Standards for pharmacists and the Code of Ethics for pharmacy technicians are to be subjected to a fundamental review, the Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has decided.
The Council made its decision at the August
Council meeting on the recommendation
of its Law and Ethics Committee. It also agreed that the review process
should be carried out by a working party, assisted by a wider reference
group, and that the Society’s membership should be engaged throughout
the review process.
In a paper considered by the Council, the committee identifies six factors
supporting its opinion that it is time for a fundamental review of the
codes:
· Pharmacists’ professional duties and responsibilities are rapidly
changing, with prescribing, medication use reviews and repeat dispensing
arrangements all reflecting an increasing clinical role.
· There is a need for the codes to encompass all areas of pharmacy practice
and not just community and hospital pharmacy. The committee believes
that the principles of the codes need to be applicable also to fields
of practice such as primary care, industry, academia and veterinary pharmacy.
· Some of the service specifications in the pharmacists’ code are
becoming quickly outdated with the introduction of the new pharmacy contracts,
while other sections, such as the standards for confidentiality, need
to reflect pharmacists’ increased access to patient records and
the sharing of information across the health care team.
· Regulatory requirements are changing, with regulators expected to inform
practitioners of the minimum standards of conduct and performance they
are required to attain to be fit to practise.
· There is a need to promote professional judgement, supporting the use
of professional discretion rather than take a legalistic approach to
the principles and standards expected of the profession.
· There requirements of the codes need to be presented in a clear and
comprehensible way.
The committee suggests that the Society should adopt a principle-based
approach to the Code of Ethics, moving away from its traditional model
based on rules and obligations. The revised codes would establish basic
ethical principles which practitioners would apply to their own circumstances
in accordance with their professional judgement.
The committee’s paper is accompanied by a draft work plan calling
for the publication in September of articles exploring issues around
professionalism and the purpose of a Code of Ethics.
Consultation with the membership, pharmacy technicians, other stakeholders
and the public would begin in October. Consultation documents would outline
the underpinning need for change and the reasons for reviewing the code
and would seek views on what is expected from a code of ethics, the benefits
and problems of the current codes and the principles that underpin pharmacy.
Focus groups would be appointed to explore the principles, values and
standards that patients and the public expect of the pharmacy profession.
The working group, to be formed by the Council at its October meeting,
would analyse the outcomes of the consultation and focus group meetings
by early in 2006. Consultation on the proposed model and principles of
the revised codes would take place in spring 2006, followed by a consultation
on draft new codes.
Commenting on the Council’s decision, David Pruce, Director of
Practice and Quality Improvement at the Society, says: “The profession
is developing at a rapid pace. The Code of Ethics needs to move away
from its ‘rule-based’ approach towards a more ‘principle-based’ approach
to ensure
it is applicable to all areas of pharmacy
practice.
“Members’ views will be key to this review as it is ‘their’ code
and it is essential that we engage with them.”
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal