The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7405 p706
17 June 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

PDF 20K, Acrobat Reader

Towards a new code of ethics more
Souvenirs should bring pleasure not pain more

Towards a new code of ethics

There is a danger that pharmacists will shortly become so overwhelmed by initiatives, new ways of working and new legislation, not to mention consultations, that they will find it hard to resist the temptation to hide in a darkened room and wait for them all to go away. As this week draws to a close, for example, so does the Department of Health consultation on the draft Section 60 Order. However, as one finishes, yet others are launched: the Royal Pharmaceutical Society opens its consultation on a new code of ethics (see centre pull-out section) and the DoH announces it is reviewing the progress of the control of entry regulations (p707); and early next month the consultation on the Rules underpinning the fitness-to-practise and registration aspects of the Section 60 Order will get under way. There are others on their way, including Pharmacy 20:20 (see p728).

The consultation on the code of ethics is relatively straightforward and, because it has a direct impact on pharmacists’ professionals lives, is worth spending some time considering. In addition, we carry an Article (p721) describing the development of a code of ethics from the early years of the Society to 2001, when the current code was fully adopted at the annual general meeting.

This particular consultation should be welcomed by practising pharmacists who have become frustrated by the prescriptive nature of the current code and who appreciate that in some senses the practice of pharmacy is becoming less of an exact science. Instead of having black and white rules covering every activity, the proposed code of ethics is based on seven principles of ethical practice (which we have summarised and illustrated on the cover). This proposed code also encompasses pharmacy technicians so, in a sense, it is a code for ethical pharmacy practice and not just for a particular group of practitioners.

Some pharmacists may be feeling, like Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen, that they are running faster and faster to stay in the same place. But the profession is moving forward. All these consultations are important, especially the one on the code of ethics. When the new code of ethics is launched, it will underpin everything pharmacists (and pharmacy technicians) do and what the next generation of pharmacy practitioners will understand about good and ethical practice. It is essential you have your say.

Back to Top

Souvenirs should bring pleasure not pain

The Health Protection Agency has revealed this week that over 1,700 cases of malaria were imported to the UK last year, mostly among people who were visiting friends and relatives in areas of the world where the disease is endemic. There were 11 deaths. Appropriate prophylactic medication and taking steps to avoid mosquito bites will go a long way to having an impact on these figures — and pharmacists are in an excellent position to play their part in warning travellers to take suitable precautions.

Back to Top