Patient safety concerns relating to online prescribing services

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has issued a letter about patient safety concerns relating to pharmacies dispensing medicines prescribed by EEA prescribers working alone or for online prescribing services. The letter contains a description of the problem, action to take and further resources available to help pharmacy owners and pharmacists understand what is expected when supplying medicines online.

We have produced policy on providing medicines online for all pharmacists who provide or are considering providing, online supply of medicines, which includes a checklist for online pharmacy and  things to think about prior to providing medicines online.

Our latest edition of Medicines, Ethics and Practice contains useful guidance, such as professional judgement (page 16), clinical check (page 44) and prescriptions from the EEA or Switzerland (page 65). We also have a range of guidance on our website, which will support pharmacy teams to meet GPhC standards. We have highlighted a selection of these here:

• Clinical Checks
• Clinical documentation for pharmacists
• Competency framework for all prescribers
• Laxatives - OTC stimulant laxatives in community
• Protecting children and young people
• Protecting vulnerable adults
• Responsible pharmacist toolkit