Law

Community pharmacies should appoint data protection officers, PSNC advises

Community pharmacy contractors should begin the process of appointing a data protection officer to ensure compliance with the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has said.…

GPhC planning to consult on data protection policy

The General Pharmaceutical Council is planning to consult on updating its data protection policy in light of a new European Union regulation which comes into force next month.…

PDA directs concerns about dispensing error decriminalisation legislation to pharmacy minister

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association has asked pharmacy minister Steve Brine for a meeting to discuss that the risk of a criminal prosecution for an inadvertent dispensing error still remains.…

Considering human factors and developing systems-thinking behaviours to ensure patient safety

Medication errors are too frequently assigned as blame towards a single person. By considering these errors as a system-level failure, healthcare providers can take significant steps towards improving patient safety. …

Why we need to legalise cannabis for medical use in the UK

Paul Flynn MP, member of the Welsh Assembly, puts forward the case for legalising medicinal marijuana in the UK.…

Scottish MPs urge UK government to allow drug consumption rooms to be piloted in Scotland

Scottish MPs are urging the UK Government to either relax drug laws or devolve relevant powers to the Scottish Government to allow supervised drug consumption rooms to be piloted in Scotland.…

2017: Pharmacy’s roller-coaster year

It has been an unsettling 12 months for pharmacy and as 2017 draws to a close there are still a number of unresolved issues hanging over the New Year.…

Dispensing errors decriminalisation legislation passed by committees in both Houses of Parliament

New legislation to protect community pharmacists from prosecution over inadvertent dispensing errors has been passed by committees in both the House of Lords and the House of Commons.…

The implications of the Montgomery judgment on pharmacy practice and patients with learning disability

The judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire (Scotland) 2015 introduced a new definition of informed consent which has implications for all healthcare professionals. This article focuses specifically on the implications for pharmacy practice and patients with learning disability. During consultations, b…

Draft law to lift threat of prosecution for pharmacists

Straightforward change to anachronistic law that criminalised honest errors has taken a decade.…