Decriminalisation of dispensing errors

The Petition has a been a fantastic success. Through the power of individuals coming together to express their collective view mountains have been moved. I thank you all most sincerely. Now we're moving forward we must not stop. I am planning more petitions in the future. For information regarding current and future campaigns I intend to run please go to

http://apjonline.blogspot.com/

Again, many thanks to each of you for your past support and I very much hope I can count on that support again soon to takes us forward to a brighter future for UK pharmacists and the patients we serve.

Millions of prescriptions are dispensed each year and only a very small percentage result in an error. However because of the sheer volume of prescriptions given out daily, each and every pharmacist is involved in a number of error incidents throughout the length of his or her career.

Recently a pharmacist (who has subsequently resigned from practice) was given a three month suspended prison sentence for making a dispensing error. A charge of manslaughter failed because the error was judged to have played no part in the death of the patient. When pharmacists make errors they are encouraged to report them so that systems can be reviewed and improved for the benefit of future patients. This case makes it less likely that errors will be reported.

A custodial sentence is supposed to be handed down to protect the public. This sentence is likely to achieve the complete opposite. If every pharmacist who has ever made a mistake were to be criminalised in this way then there would soon be very few left to practise. This law needs to be changed and soon.

Addendum:

Members of the General Public and other Healthcare Professions are encouraged to sign this petition but may be concerned that pharmacists are seeking to evade their responsibilities. There are many remedies that can be taken against pharmacists. Complaints to the local Primary Care Trust, complaints to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain which is currently the professional regulator, civil action in the courts for which practicing pharmacists must have liability insurance and criminal action if the pharmacist has acted illegally. Pharmacists in the vast majority take their responsibilities very seriously and those that do not should, quite rightly, be sanctioned or punished. However the problem that arises from the recent court case is that if the logic applied in that case was to be applied fairly and evenly to all pharmacists who made a similar error then the number of pharmacists left in practice would quickly dwindle to zero. I urge members of the general public to support their pharmacists and sign this petition.

PDA CAMPAIGN

http://tinyurl.com/oegz6m