Consider hand delivery of paper script returns
Security of prescription returns is being discussed by the PSNC
and the DoH |
Community pharmacists in England should consider hand-delivering their monthly paper prescription returns to reduce the risk of confidential patient data going missing, according to guidance from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.
The PSNC is currently discussing with the Department of Health how to
tighten the security around sending prescriptions to the Prescription
Pricing Division.
But until that agreement is reached, community pharmacists located near
to one of the nine regional PPD offices should consider hand delivery,
the PSNC recommends.
The guidance, which appears in the April 2008 edition of the PSNC’s
Community Pharmacy News, also advises that pharmacists should
either remove or “obliterate” the patient name from the labels
attached to returned medicines which go into the general waste.
Any unwanted material that contains patient information should be routinely
shredded, it recommends.
Pharmacists should also review their prescription delivery service and
ensure that the person in charge of the “prescription run” has
signed a confidentially clause as part of their contract of employment.
All pharmacists are being urged to carry out a risk assessment of their
pharmacy computer system and are also reminded that they have a duty
to adhere to the NHS code of practice on information security management.
The advice from the PSNC follows several high profile media reports on
loss of data held by the public sector and comes ahead of a review of
transmission of patient data that is being launched by primary care trusts.
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