The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is seeking feedback on
proposed changes to its guidance, to help improve patient safety
for patients and the public getting medicines from online
pharmacies.
The changes are being proposed to help prevent people from
receiving medicines from online pharmacies that are not
clinically appropriate for them and may cause them harm.
Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive at the General
Pharmaceutical Council, said:
“We know that there can be significant benefits for people using
online pharmacy services to get medicines and treatment, but
there are also additional risks that need to be managed, to make
sure medicines and other pharmacy services are provided safely to
patients and the public.
“Through our inspections and investigations, we've seen
significant risks to patient safety when online questionnaires
have inappropriately been the only mode of consultation used, and
when the information provided by the patient isn't verified by
the prescriber.
“We are seeking views on some important proposed changes to the
guidance, which we think will improve patient safety, and we then
plan to publish the updated guidance as soon as possible.”
The key changes being proposed include:
- Requiring online pharmacies to put extra safeguards in place
when prescribing or supplying medicines which are known to be
associated with greater risks, including those used for weight
loss.
- Emphasising that some medicines are not suitable to be
prescribed using an online questionnaire alone, and that there
should be a means to allow two-way communication between the
person and the prescriber for all online prescribing.
- Providing further guidance for the prescriber on what they
should do to verify the information that is provided to them by
the person for some medicines, especially for medicines
associated with greater risks, through a phone call, video
consultation, or by contacting the person's GP.
- Providing further guidance for prescribers to follow in
circumstances where the person requesting a medicine does not
have a regular prescriber such as a GP, or if the person has not
given consent to the prescriber to share information with the
person's GP.
- Making Superintendent Pharmacists jointly responsible with
pharmacy owners for meeting the guidance.
The pharmacy regulator is proposing these changes in response to
concerns it has identified relating to inappropriate supplies of
medicines, including medicines used for weight-loss, that could
result in risks and harm to patients. These concerns have been
identified through GPhC inspections and enforcement action
against online pharmacies, fitness to practise concerns raised
with the regulator, and through working closely with other
regulators.
Visit the GPhC website to read the proposed updated
guidance and share feedback via an online survey by 9 October
2024.
