New NHS adverts code
The promotion of NHS-funded services to patients and referring clinicians is now regulated by a code
of practice, published recently by the Department of Health.
Any hospital pharmacy department that advertises its services will have
to comply with the code, in addition to any regulations that are already
in place. For example, aseptic manufacturing departments will still have
to comply with regulations put in place by the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency.
The code is based on existing regulations that are used by the Advertising
Standards Authority to regulate other industries, including the pharmaceutical
industry.
“This code will have an impact on hospital pharmacy, and should
not be ignored,” said Stephen Langford, principal pharmacist (technical
services), at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. “However,
the extent of this impact is not currently clear.”
|
Hospital
Pharmacist