Service specification for pharmacist prescribers added to Code of Ethics
A service specification for pharmacist prescribers is to be added to Part 3 of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Code of Ethics and Standards for pharmacists.
The new service specification (see Panel below) was approved by the Society’s
Council at the August
Council meeting. Its introduction recognises the
growth of supplementary prescribing by pharmacists, the proposals for
independent prescribing and the repercussions of the Shipman Inquiry.
The secification applies to both supplementary and independent prescribers
but it could eventually be supported by more specific guidance for each
prescribing system.
Lynsey Balmer, the Society’s head of professional ethics, says: “In
order to ensure that the Code of Ethics and Standards continues to reflect
and support the changing roles and responsibilities of the profession
it was necessary to introduce a new service specification for pharmacist
prescribers.”
She adds: “In developing this specification consideration has also
been given to principles for prescribing Controlled Drugs identified
in the Government’s response to ‘The regulation of Controlled
Drugs in the community’, the fourth report of the Shipman inquiry.”
Service specification: pharmacist prescribers
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Before prescribing, pharmacists
must successfully complete an education and training programme
accredited by the
Society and must register with the Society as a pharmacist prescriber.
Pharmacists must only prescribe within the limits of their registration
and must comply with the statutory requirements applicable to their
prescribing. Pharmacists have an obligation to prescribe responsibly
and in their patients’ best interests and must:
(a) prescribe within the limits of their professional expertise
and competence;
(b) not prescribe for themselves, or for anyone with whom they have a close
personal or emotional relationship, other than in an emergency;*
(c) make an appropriate assessment of the patient’s condition and only
prescribe to meet the patient’s genuine clinical needs;
(d) prescribe only where they have adequate knowledge of the patient’s
health and medical history;
(e) be aware of and give consideration to local and national prescribing guidelines;
(f) keep accurate, comprehensive records of their consultation and prescribing
for an individual patient;
(g) communicate effectively with other practitioners involved in the care of
the patient;
(h) refer the patient to another practitioner when it is necessary to do so;
(i) prescribe in accordance with a patient’s individual clinical management
plan when prescribing as a supplementary prescriber, and refer the patient
back to the independent prescriber when their circumstances fall outside the
clinical management plan;
(j) ensure separation of prescribing and dispensing whenever possible — where
a pharmacist is both prescribing and dispensing a patient’s medication,
a second suitably competent person should normally be involved in the checking
process. |
* It is proposed that further guidance as to the exceptional circumstances
where it may be appropriate for pharmacists to prescribe for themselves
or anyone with whom they have a close personal or emotional relationship
could be provided in supporting documents. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal