Distance Selling Pharmacy Flashcards
Principle 3: Premises
From which pharmacy services are provided and any other premises:
- Must meet standards for registered pharmacies
- Must be fit for purpose to reflect the scale of the work done
Website layout
- Should have professional design and layout
- Must be secure and follow laws on data protection
- All info must be clear, accurate and updated regularly, and not misleading in any way
Legitimacy of internet pharmacy displayed on website
- Make sure that any business that is either hosted on your website, or reached by an external link, is legitimate.
- Assure prescribers, whether medical or non-medical, follow the relevant remote consultation, assessment and prescribing guidance
Consultation before purchasing med online
Make sure person cannot choose a POM and its quantity before there has been an appropriate consultation with a prescriber
Website must clearly display:
- GPhC pharmacy registration number
- Name of the owner of the registered pharmacy
- Name and address of the registered pharmacy that supplies the medicines
- Name of the superintendent pharmacist (where applicable)
- Details of the registered pharmacy where medicines are prepared (if diff to supplied)
- Info about how to check the registration status of the pharmacy and the superintendent pharmacist (if there is one)
- Email address + phone number of the pharmacy
- Details of how to give feedback and raise concerns
If the person is prescribed medicines following an online consultation, your website should also prominently display:
- Name of the prescriber
- Address of the prescribing service
- Prescriber’s registration number and the country they are registered in
- Whether the prescriber is: doctor or a independent prescriber
- Info about how to check the registration status of the prescriber
Website logo compulsory
- Be registered with the MHRA
- Compulsory ‘Distance Selling Logo’ on every page of their website offering medicines for sale
- Logo will take them through to a list of approved UK-registered online retail sellers on the MHRA website
GPhC Pharmacy logo (voluntary)
- You can have the GPhC internet logo only once you have applied for, and been given, the MHRA Distance Selling Logo
Principles 4: Managing medicines safely
- Think about which medicines are safe for supplying at a distance
- Carry out an appropriate identity check
- Ensure advice is available for all medicines
- Assess suitability and provide counselling
- Awareness of abuse potential
- Signpost where relevant
Some categories of medicines are not suitable to be supplied online
- Abx take into account AMR guidelines
- Medicines liable to abuse, overuse or misuse (e.g opiates, sedatives, laxatives)
- Medicines that require ongoing monitoring or management (e.g lithium, warfarin, medicines for diabetes, epilepsy..)
- Non-surgical cosmetic medicinal products (e.g Botox, Dysport)
Safeguards to put in place if medicines not suitable for online provision are to be supplied online
- Assured prescriber has robust processes to check the identity of the person
- The person has been asked for the contact details of their regular prescriber, such as their GP, and for consent to contact them about the Rx
- Assured prescriber will share all relevant information about the Rx with other HCPs involved in the care of the person
- Assure prescriber has made a clear record setting out their justification for prescribing, when there is no regular prescriber
Delivering medicines safely
- Ensure meds delivered safely to the correct person when they need them
- Delivery method safeguards confidential information, and delivery achieved promptly, safely and in an appropriate condition)
- Need to assess suitability of packing
- Obtain consent to provide the delivery service
- Check laws covering export or import of medicines if the intended recipient is outside of the UK
Information for pharmacy users
- Call to counsel, no f2f
- Make sure generic healthcare advice is accurate, up-to-date and of a high professional standard
- Includes all relevant details of contraindications and side-effects
PRINCIPLE 5: the equipment and facilities
- of high specification, accuracy and security
- calibrated, maintained and serviced regularly
- latest security specifications
MHRA enforcement team for regulation of internet pharmacy
- Monitor internet sites
- Focus on advertising and supply of POMs in UK
- Can remove site and prosecute those responsible
- Work with police, ISP’s, DoH and GPhC
