Pharmacy Services at a distance Flashcards
Different ways to provide a pharmacy service
- Traditional
- Distance selling
- Internet
Same laws apply
What is a ‘traditional’ pharmacy service?
All parts of the service are provided at the same registered pharmacy
Examples of when traditional activities are carried out at diff registered pharmacies or places
- Rx not handed in by pt, but collected by pharmacy staff or received by post or electronically
- Delivery service from registered pharmacy to patients homes/care/nursing homes
- Collection and delivery service
- Click and collect service
- Mail order service from registered pharmacy
- Internet pharmacy service including ones linked to online prescribing service
- Hub and spoke pharmacy service
DONT NEED TO MEMORISE THESE, JUST BE AWARE FOR DIFFERENCES
Problems with accessing POM illegally from internet without prescription
- may not be prescribed by HCP
- may be no checks and controls on quality or effectiveness of meds
- may be no legal recourse in the event of a problem
- introduces a culture of self diagnosis and self treatment
- supply of certain meds not regulated
Falsified Medicines Directive
- brought in to address the issues of falsified medicines directives in med supply chain across Europe
- All packs of prescription med placed on market in Europe has to bear two safety features: a unique identifier (IU) in the form of a 2D data matrix barcode and an anti-tamper device (ATD)
- FMD applied to POMs for human use, NHS and private supplies
- FMD does not apply to OTCs, medical devices, specials and vet meds
Scanning authentication process in Falsified medicine directive
- manufactures will upload unique identifier on European med verification system, act as a hub linking national systems together
- data can then be accessed via a national data base and enable verification and authentication of packs by pharmacy teams
Pharmacist Requirements in FMD
Verify authentication: check anti tamper device is intact, scanning IU on barcode on pack to receive a status message confirms authenticity, inactive means cannot be supplied
- decommission the UI- changing status from a active to inactive dispensed fore very pack before supplied
- hospitals and dispensing doctors will be exempt from these requirements and wholesalers will have to carry out these steps for them
Opening an Internet Pharmacy
- dont need to notify NHS agency to justify opening an internet pharmacy
- need to identify suitable premises
- if you want to dispense NHS prescriptions you need to be included in the local pharmaceutical list
- need to apply for NHS dispensing contract
NHS dispensing contract application
need to put in an application that pharmacy premises secure the uninterrupted provision of essential services during open hours of premises to persons anywhere in England who requested them
~£750 to submit application
-once application is approved, have 6 months to open, need to be approved by GPhC
What are essential services?
dispensing med, dispensing appliances, repeat dispensing, clinical governance, sign posting, disposal of unwanted meds
Key points of internet pharmacy
- must be no face to face contact between patients and pharmacy staff for delivery of essential services
- prescriptions are not handed in by patients but are collected, received by post or electronically
- patients are allowed to access pharmacy but only for non-essential services like MURs, NMS
- must be willing to supply medication against a prescription to anyone in England (however, if anyone arrives to the pharmacy with a prescription they must be turned away
- cant charge for delivery of prescriptions
- pharmacy needs RP in charge of pharmacy who needs to be present during sale and supply of P meds and POMS; preparation, assembly labelling,
- if there is a delivery service, handover to delivery person of a P or POM needs to take place in the registers pharmacy under RP supervision
Pros of Internet pharmacy
For Pharmacists: Offers pharmacists an opportunity to own their own pharmacy without having to buy and existing business
-offers chance for pharmacies to be built in a real where community pharmacies are not traditionally located
For patients: ease, convenience, increased choice, anonymity, general chaperons costs
Cons of Internet Pharmacy
For Pharmacists:
- lack of patient contact
- making the case to use you rather than walk into local pharmacy
For patients:
- Confusion over which are legal websites
- difference in appearance of package and in drug names -fakes, counterfeits
- can obtain meds without clinical checks
Risk assessment of internet pharmacies for GPhC
- identify and manage risks
- should cover the whole pharmacy process including staff working
- how staff tell patients and the public about the pharmacy services, and how they get their consent
- how staff communicate between locations
- med supply including counselling and delivery
- business capacity to provide proposed services
- record keeping
- if there is online prescribing service
Internet pharmacies and prescribing services
some internet pharmacies can work alongside prescribing services; this includes a private online prescribing service based in GB or one located abroad w a prescriber who is not registered with GMC
If working with a prescriber outside UK, should make sure that
- they manage the extra risks that this might create
- they have sufficient indemnity insurance in place
- prescriber is registered in home country and can lawfully issue prescriptions online to people in UK
- prescriber is working with national guidelines of UK