The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7429 p656
2 December 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

PSNC suggests pharmacies should consider chaperones

Community pharmacies offering services that involve physical contact with patients, or consultations in private consultation areas, should consider having a chaperone policy in place, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

In guidance issued last week, the PSNC says that, although having a chaperone policy cannot be considered mandatory for pharmacies, pharmacists should keep their practices under review and carry out periodic risk assessments to establish whether to implement or revise chaperone policies.

The guidance offers advice about the role of chaperones, training for chaperones and issues related to consent, children and lone working. It also makes recommendations about communication and record keeping and suggests that details of any examination performed in the presence or absence of a chaperone should be documented in the patient medication record.

The PSNC guidance (PDF 120K) is a summary of guidance produced by the NHS Clinical Governance Support Team in June 2005.