C+D readers back CCTV use in consultation rooms
Practice Nearly two thirds of C+D readers would support the use of CCTV in consultation rooms, but the GPhC is reluctant to offer guidance on the issue, stressing the legal implications involved around patient confidentiality.
Nearly two thirds of C+D readers would support the use of CCTV in consultation rooms to protect pharmacists' safety, a reader poll has suggested, despite the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) offering no concrete guidance on the issue.
Sixty two per cent of readers said they would install surveillance for safety reasons while only 38 per cent were against it, citing fears over breaching patient confidentiality, a poll of 157 revealed.
The GPhC told C+D it did not have definitive guidance on the issue, warning of the legal implications involved. "It's the duty of pharmacy owners to ensure patient confidentiality and that any arrangements are compliant with legal and professional obligations including the data protection act," said GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin.
"You can see it would be a protection for the pharmacist as well as the patient" Fin McCaul, IPF |
More on CCTV Pharmacists should install CCTV to beat false sexual harassment claims, says lawyer |
In a GPhC fitness-to-practise case last month, a Lloydspharmacy employee was struck off for illegally selling prescription medication, after CCTV caught him exchanging "large sums of money" with a patient. |
Lloydspharmacy told C+D that it very rarely installed CCTV in its consultation rooms, but when it did it was following a risk assessment with the responsible pharmacist. The multiple stressed that it always had clear signage to inform patients of the cameras and ensured all staff understood the need to protect patient confidentiality.
But, while the Independent Pharmacy Federation (IPF) said CCTV was vital protection against violence and false sexual harassment claims, Graham Phillips, owner of Manor Pharmacy Group (Wheathampstead) Ltd, Hertfordshire, warned the footage could be seen as "an intrusion".
Installing CCTV in some of his pharmacies' consultation rooms had provoked concerns among staff, Mr Phillips said. "Most of them thought it was a bit of an intrusion and people wondered whether it was voyeuristic," he told C+D.
Despite the protection it could offer pharmacy teams, Mr Phillips said he continued to struggle with the ethics of the issue.
But the benefits of CCTV outweighed the concerns, argued Independent Pharmacy Federation chair Fin McCaul. He highlighted that pharmacists had previously faced long-term suspensions for false sexual harassment claims – allegations that would have been dismissed if footage had been available.
"You can see it would be a protection for the pharmacist as well as the patient," he told C+D. "Providing there's no sound recording, if it's there to monitor and protect staff it may be a good thing, but... it's a very complicated issue."
Last year, law firm Charles Russell advised pharmacists to consider using surveillance in consultation rooms to protect themselves against false sexual harassment claims. And, speaking to C+D last week, the firm's head of healthcare David Reissner repeated the recommendations.
"[We] have proposed that CCTV be used, but without sound. In that way, there will be visual evidence of any physical contact between a pharmacist and a patient, but no confidential information will be recorded," Mr Reissner said.
Contractors should be aware of patient confidentiality issues before making a decision, said the NPA. "Pharmacists thinking of installing CCTV should take into account patient confidentiality and ensure cameras are positioned so as not to breach this," advised the NPA director of pharmacy Deborah Evans.
"Any pharmacy using CCTV should inform patients that it is doing so and patient consent should be sought for the use of CCTV in a consultation room – a patient can request it is switched off or decline the consultation," she added.
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