RPSGB And PSNI Launch Hospital Pharmacy Practice Guidance

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 09 Sep 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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New guidance to support hospital pharmacists in the implementation of the responsible pharmacist requirements when they come into effect on 1 October has been jointly published by the Royal Pharmaceutical of Great Britain (RPSGB) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) today.

The legal changes relating to the responsible pharmacist clarify the requirements in the Medicines Act 1968, which seek to safeguard patients and the public in terms of the sale and supply of medicines from registered pharmacies.

The new guidance outlines hospital activities that can only take place from a pharmacy premises registered with the RPSGB or the PSNI, therefore defining where a responsible pharmacist is required to be in charge of the pharmacy. Hospital activities that require an appropriate licence (for example a wholesale dealer's licence or manufacturing licence) from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are also identified. Led by Professor Liz Kay, Clinical Director of Medicines Management and Pharmacy Services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the guidance was developed by a working group consisting of practising hospital pharmacists, representatives from the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and the RPSGB's Hospital Pharmacist Group, together with regulatory experts from the RPSGB, PSNI, MHRA and Department of Health.

Professor Liz Kay said: "The overall aim of this guidance is to support hospital pharmacists in their ongoing sale and supply of medicines from hospital pharmacies because the care of many patients is dependent upon these activities.

"Through use of this guidance, pharmacists working in the NHS, private and voluntary hospital sectors will be able to make decisions about registration of pharmacy premises with the RPSGB or PSNI and/or the requirements for MHRA licences."

To support the implementation of the guidance, the RPSGB, in association with the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association and the Association of Teaching Hospital Pharmacists, will be hosting a free one-day workshop on Monday 21 September.

A similar workshop will be hosted on Monday 28 September 2009 in Belfast by the PSNI. This event is open to hospital pharmacists from any part of the UK. Aimed at chief hospital pharmacists, the Hospital Pharmacy Practice in the UK and the Responsible Pharmacist Requirements events will include a day of presentations and practical workshops looking at the new guidance, the responsible pharmacist requirements and the current and future role of the regulators.

For further information and to view the workshop programme for Monday 21 September please visit the RPSGB website at http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/worldofpharmacy/events. Places are on a firstcome- first-served basis. To reserve your place email the RPSGB's event team at events@rspgb.org. For further details for the workshop on 28 September visit the PSNI website at http://www.psni.org.uk. To reserve a place please email joyce.livingstone@psni.org.uk.

To download a copy of the guidance, visit the RPSGB website at http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/worldofpharmacy/currentdevelopmentsinpharmacy/skillmix or the PSNI website at http://www.psni.org.uk.

Notes

The Hospital Pharmacy Practice in the UK and the Responsible Pharmacist Requirements workshops aims to assist senior hospital pharmacists in identifying whether they need to register their pharmacy premises with the RPSGB/PSNI or obtain an appropriate licence from the MRHA.

Where a hospital pharmacy registers their premises with the RPSGB/PSNI they will have to comply with the same responsible pharmacist requirements as their colleagues in the community sector. The RPSGB will continue to provide presentations to community pharmacists on the responsible pharmacist requirements at a local level - through the RPSGB branches and Local Pharmaceutical Committees.

Source
Royal Pharmaceutical of Great Britain

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