Responding to the publication of the report from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the General Pharmaceutical Council, said:
“This important report shines a spotlight on how medicines and medical devices can harm as well as help. We will carefully review the report and its strategic recommendations and look at what actions we can take in response.
“We would like to express our sympathies for everyone who has experienced harm from medicines and medical devices. We also want to pay tribute to the patients and family members who have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of these patient safety issues; it is vital that we learn from and act on what they have told us.
“As an organisation we are committed to doing more to enable patients and the public to raise concerns and safety issues with us, to listen to their concerns, share this information with others across the system and to act quickly and effectively in response. Greater involvement of patients and the public in our work will strengthen action we take to ensure safe and effective pharmacy care.
“We expect the pharmacy professionals and pharmacies we regulate to provide person-centred care to all patients and to respond openly and honestly to any safety concerns that patients raise.”