The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) welcomes the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Medicines Shortages Report published today.
Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the GPhC, said:
“This important report shines a light on the complex global issues that are causing medicines shortages. Our Council shares the concerns outlined in this report about the significant impact these shortages are having on both patients and pharmacy teams, and has heard first-hand of the frustration, distress and harm that medicines shortages can cause. We fully agree with the report’s conclusion that further action is needed now.
“Although the GPhC has no direct role in medicines supply, we are determined to play our part in the next steps wherever possible, including in educating pharmacy teams about medicines shortages, and supporting them through our standards and guidance when they are facing challenging situations. We would urge everyone working within the wider system to join us in considering what they can do to address the issues set out in the RPS’s report.”
Roz Gittins, Chief Pharmacy Officer at the GPhC, said:
“I was glad to have the opportunity to contribute to this timely report, and to share what we are hearing and seeing about the impacts of medicines shortages on both patients and the public, and on pharmacy teams.
“The GPhC is committed to continuing to be part of the ongoing discussions of what more we can all do to help mitigate the significant impact of medicines shortages. This includes supporting and enabling pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to make decisions in the best interests of their patients, when medicines are in short supply. We would welcome changes to legislation to enable community pharmacists to be able to make minor changes to prescriptions when medicines are unavailable, as they do in hospital. We also strongly support the call in the report to improve the sharing of data and information throughout the system, to enable national and local teams to more proactively manage supply and demand.”