Pharmacist launches petition opposing responsible pharmacist proposals

A pharmacist has started a petition calling on the government to reject responsible pharmacist proposals, which has already received more than 1,800 signatures.

Mariam Ahmed, who created the petition ‘Reject remote pharmacist proposals. Keep pharmacists present for patients’ in October 2018, has the backing of the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), which is urging members of the profession to sign it.

In her petition, Ahmed said that while a pharmacy is open, “it is a fundamental patient right that a qualified pharmacist is available on site at all times to consult in person, without the need for an appointment”.

She also warned that government proposals could mean pharmacists would be signed in as the responsible pharmacist for more than one pharmacy at a time and therefore not always physically available to patients.

A consultation on the role of responsible and superintendent pharmacists closed in September 2018.

The PDA said it “shares the view that patient safety would be jeopardised if a pharmacist wasn’t present in a pharmacy during the medicines dispensing and supply processes”.