Pharmacy supervision plans send 'disastrous' message to Commonwealth
Allowing UK pharmacy technicians to supervise medicines supply would be "a disaster" for low-income countries, the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) has warned.
C+D exclusively revealed last week (September 13) that detailed proposals for pharmacy technicians to be handed legal responsibility for supervising the supply of prescription-only medicines (POMs) have been submitted to a Department of Health (DH) programme board.
A working group, established by the UK’s four chief pharmaceutical officers, also suggested amending legislation to allow a pharmacy technician to, in the pharmacist’s absence, undertake the “supervision role” of determining when medicine supplies can go ahead and “overseeing the activities of other, non-regulated, pharmacy staff”, according to confidential documents seen by C+D.
In a letter sent to C+D yesterday (September 19), the CPA said while it “fully appreciates” the value of pharmacy technicians, “we need to consider the wider implications” that a change in UK pharmacy supervision legislation “would send to the global community”.
CPA "greatly concerned"
The CPA is “greatly concerned” that other Commonwealth countries will follow the UK's lead, it said.
It used the example of Bangladesh,* which “has 150,000 drug stores, the majority of which do not have a qualified pharmacist”, it said.
“This results in sales of medicines being made [in Bangladesh] by unqualified or poorly trained personnel,” the CPA explained in the letter – signed by four past and present presidents and vice-presidents (see below).
As a result, “the quality of healthcare provided by pharmacies is often compromised”.
“Disaster” for low-income countries
The representative body said the proposed changes to legislation in the UK would "send the message to other countries that pharmacists are no longer required".
"It would be a disaster for lower to middle-income countries trying so desperately to establish a healthcare structure with quality at the heart of it," it warned
It “continues” to discuss the need to have “appropriately trained pharmacists in all community pharmacies”, with government agencies across the Commonwealth.
“Just as we do not see GP practices operating without a GP, we believe it would be a mistake to try and operate a pharmacy service within a community without a pharmacist,” the body concluded.
Read the letter in full here.
Who signed it?
- Dr Rao Vadlamudi – president of the CPA and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association
- Raymond Anderson – immediate past-president of the CPA and past-president of the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland
- Nancy Ho – vice-president of the CPA and immediate past-president of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society
- Mary Ann Ciappara – vice-president of the CPA and representative of the Maltese Chamber of Pharmacists
What is the CPA?
The organisation was formed in 1970 by pharmacy representatives from 28 Commonwealth countries.
Over 40 national professional associations are now represented by the body, which lobbies and advises governments across the Commonwealth on the policies of pharmacy professions in each country, and promoting the role of the pharmacist.
*This article has been amended to make clear that the CPA is concerned the UK may be seen as an "example" by countries such as Bangladesh, and not vice versa
Are you concerned by the pharmacy supervision proposals?