Responsible pharmacists will need to have additional competencies
Extra competencies to fulfil the wider role of responsible pharmacist will be required, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in its response (PDF, 100K)to the Government’s consultation on the responsible pharmacist regulations.
This proposal is in contrast to the views of other pharmacy bodies, which have stated that there should be no requirement for extra qualifications.
The Society recommends that all pharmacists should be eligible to become a responsible pharmacist at the point of joining the Register but that in order to be absent, or to be responsible for more than one pharmacy, extra leadership and management competencies are required. “Confirmation of the additional competencies will have to be part of the consideration of the changes to supervision,” it says.
The Society believes that the necessary competencies — which it proposes it will assess — will be able to be achieved in several ways, including through mentorship or peer support along with professional guidance or distance learning. It emphasises that no minimum period of experience should be necessary.
“By providing a number of ways in which these competencies can be achieved, the RPSGB does not believe it will be onerous or difficult to achieve the requisite competencies,” the response says. It adds that every pharmacist who is registered when the regulations take effect will need to assess his or her competence to be a responsible pharmacist.
On absence, the Society proposes that periods of absence of up to two hours per day would be acceptable. But it believes that the responsible pharmacist must be on the premises for substantially more than the 50 per cent of opening hours suggested by the Government. It would prefer that a percentage of time is not specified in the regulations, but if this is deemed necessary, the Society believes it should be 75 per cent of the hours for which the pharmacy is open.
The Society believes that a pharmacist must only be responsible for one pharmacy at a time. However, it says that, if regulations did permit them to be responsible for more than one pharmacy, this must be only in truly exceptional circumstances or where they are responsible for one pharmacy and one automated machine.
The Society opposes any attempt to make the regulations “overly burdensome” and would be concerned if “breaches of the regulations were to result in potential for criminal prosecution”. It proposes that 12 months are necessary to prepare for the introduction of the regulations. Although it supports the Government’s proposed phased approach, the Society recognises that some areas, such as absence and remote supervision, cannot be fully considered without considering the proposed changes to supervision requirements.
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