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Letters to the Editor
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Fitness to practise
Lack of communication
From Mr P. B. Lowe, MRPharmS
As community pharmacy development manager for a primary care trust I
find it surprising that information relevant to the fitness to practise
of pharmacists is not provided to PCTs by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
as soon as it becomes evident.
In the light of the serious implication of inadequate governance of professional
practice brought to light by the Shipman Inquiry one would expect the
pooling of resources among all bodies with a professional or a contractual
responsibility to monitor clinical performance. Yet even when the Statutory
Committee strikes off a pharmacist the body responsible for commissioning
his services is likely to be informed opportunistically via the pages
of The Journal.
Peter Lowe
Newcastle upon Tyne
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MANDIE LAVIN, director of fitness to practise and legal affairs,
Royal Pharmaceutical Society, replies:
Decisions of the Statutory Committee
are published both in the pages of The Pharmaceutical Journal and
on the
Society’s website in the week following the hearing.
In October 2005, the Council set out its policy on disclosure of information
abut a member’s fitness-to-practise history. When sent the Notice of Inquiry,
members facing an inquiry are now routinely asked to provide information about
their employers and primary care organisations. Although the Society does not
presently have the powers to compel disclosure of that information, disclosure
to the Society is likely to become a legal requirement under new legislation
expected next year. At the conclusion of any hearing where an adverse decision
has been reached, a copy of the decision is now sent to the member’s
employer and the PCO, where details are known.
The Statutory Committee sits for three or four consecutive days, usually
in the third week, of each month. It is the responsibility of all employers
to
check
the Society’s website regularly to see if any adverse findings have been
made against one of their employees. This is particularly so in the case of
those of employing locums. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal