a principle function of the GPhC is to set and promote standards in order to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of members of the public who use pharmacy services
Part 2, article 4.3 of SI 231 The Pharmacy Order 2010 gives powers to the GPhC to set and promote standards for pharmacies and registrants
NB: Registrants are persons included on parts 1 and 2 of the register
Status of Standards & Guidance
they are not laws so failure to follow them is not a legal offence
however, many standards are conferred a status similar to law because they are often based on or closely related to legal requirements
occasionally, standards get incorporated into laws when these are revised or re-written
Standards for Pharmacy Professionals
9 Standards: Pharmacy professionals must...
provide personcentred care
work in partnership with others
communicate effectively
maintain, develop and use their professional knowledge and skills
use their professionaljudgement
behave in a professionalmanner
respect and maintain a person's confidentiality and privacy
speak up when they have concerns or when things go wrong
demonstrate leadership
Standard 1: Pharmacy professionals must provide person centred care
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
obtain consent to provide care and pharmacy services
involve, support and enable every person when making decisions about their health, care and wellbeing
listen to the person and understand their needs and what matters to them
give the person all relevant information in a way they can understand, so they can make informed decisions and choices
consider the impact of their practice whether or not they provide care directly
Standard 1: Pharmacy professionals must provide person centred care
respect and safeguard the person’s dignity
recognise and value diversity, and respect cultural differences – making sure that every person is treated fairly whatever their values and beliefs
recognise their own values and beliefs but do not impose them on other people
take responsibility for ensuring that person-centred care is not compromised because of personalvalues and beliefs
make the best use of the resources available
Standard 2: Pharmacy professionals must work in partnership with others
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
work with person receiving care
identify and work with those involved in person’s care
contact, involve and work with relevantlocal and national organisations
demonstrate effective team working
adapt their communication for effective partnership working
take action to safeguard people, particularly children and vulnerable adults
make and use records of the care provided
work with others for continuity of care for the person concerned
Standard 3: Pharmacy professionals must communicate effectively
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
adapt their communication to meet needs of the person they are communicating with
overcome barriers to communication
ask questions and listen carefully to responses, to understand person’s needs and come to shared decision about the care they provide
listen actively and respond to information received in timely manner
check person has understood the information given
communicate effectively with others involved in the care of the person
Standard 4: Pharmacy professionals must maintain, develop and use professional knowledge and skills
recognise and work within limits of knowledge and skills, and refer to others when needed
use skills and knowledge, including up-to-date evidence, to deliver care and improve quality of care provided
carry out range of relevant continuing professional development (CPD) activities
record development activities to demonstrate knowledge and skills are up to date
use variety of methods to regularly monitor and reflect on practice, skills, knowledge
Standard 5: Pharmacy professionals must use their professional judgement
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
practise only when fit to do so
recognise the limits of their competence
consider and manage appropriately any personal or organisational goals, incentives or targets and make sure the care they provide reflects the needs of the person
Standard 5: Pharmacy professionals must use their professional judgement
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
make the care of the person their first concern and act in their best interests
use their judgement to make clinical and professional decisions with the person or others
have the information they need to provide appropriate care
declare any personal or professional interests and manage these professionally
Standard 6: Pharmacy professionals must behave in a professional manner
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
are polite and considerate
are trustworthy and act with honesty and integrity
show empathy and compassion
treat people with respect and safeguard their dignity
maintain appropriate personal and professional boundaries with the people they provide care to and with others
Standard 7: Pharmacy professionals must respect and maintain a person’s confidentiality and privacy
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
do not discuss information that can identify the person when the discussions can be overheard or seen by others not involved in their care
ensure that everyone in the team understands the need to maintain a person’s privacy and confidentiality
work in partnership with the person when considering whether to share their information, except where this would not be appropriate
Standard 7: Pharmacy professionals must respect and maintain a person’s confidentiality and privacy
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
understand the importance of managing information responsibly and securely, and apply this to their practice
reflect on their environment and take steps to maintain the person’s privacy and confidentiality
Standard 8: Pharmacy professionals must speak up when they have concerns or when things go wrong
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
promote and encourage a culture of learning and improvement
challenge poor practice and behaviours
raise a concern, even when it is not easy to do so
promptly tell their employer and all relevant authorities (including the GPhC) about concerns they may have
Standard 8: Pharmacy professionals must speak up when they have concerns or when things go wrong
People receive safe and effective care when pharmacy professionals:
support people who raise concerns and provide feedback
are open and honest when things go wrong
say sorry, provide an explanation and put things right when things go wrong
reflect on feedback or concerns, taking action as appropriate and thinking about what can be done to prevent the same thing happening again
improve the quality of care and pharmacy practice by learning from feedback and when things go wrong
Standard 9: Pharmacy professionals must demonstrate leadership
take responsibility for their practice and demonstrate leadership to people they work with
assess risks in care they provide and do everything possible to keep them as low as possible
contribute to education, training and development of the team or others
delegate tasks only to people who are competent and appropriately trained or in training, and exercise proper oversight
do not abuse position or influence others to abuse theirs
lead by example, in particular to those working towards registration as pharmacy professionals
GPhC Guidance
guidance has a lesser weight than standards, it often seeks to clarify points in the standards
registrants should follow guidance where it is provided, failure to do so could result in them being called to answer for their actions in choosing to ignore it or even be ignorant of its existence
this could be seen as an aggravating factor in dealing with a disciplinary case
Guidance on Consent produced by GPhC covers:
what is consent
types of consent
obtaining consent
capacity
what is capacity
when a competent adult refuses to give consent
adults without capacity
young people and children
Guidance on maintaining clear sexual boundaries
why it is important to maintain clear sexual boundaries
power imbalance
sexualised behaviour and breaches of sexual boundaries
avoiding breaches of sexual boundaries
chaperones
cultural and other differences
previous patients or carers
raising concerns
Guidance in patient confidentiality
the importance of respecting people's dignity
take action to prevent disclosure
don't disclose without consent
only use information lawfully
maintain appropriate levels of privacy for patient consultations
disclosures in the public interest
Guidance on raising concerns
the importance of raising concerns
how to raise a concern
the law
extra guidance for employers
where to go for more advice
Professional duty of Candour
Every healthcare professional must be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their treatment or care which causes, or has the potential to cause, harm or distress
This means healthcare professionals must:
tell the patient (or where appropriate, the proxy/advocate) when something has gone wrong;
apologise to the patient/proxy;
offer an appropriate remedy or support to rectify matters if possible and;
explain fully to patient/proxy the short and long term effects of what has happened
Guidance on religion, personal values and beliefs states:
what to do if your beliefs affect provision of services
how to support patients if you cannot supply the service
what do employers need to do if services ae likely to be affected