Lord Howe welcomed the appointment of Ken Jarrold as chair. The new Board which will be looking at re-balancing the medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation to ensure that they are in tune and still fit for purpose. The pharmacy standards, services and practices will be reviewed to ensure they do not stifle innovation, that patient safety is paramount and that they are of the highest quality.
Pharmacists who wear two RP hats, one for pharmacy and one for the MHRA are acutely aware that some pharmacy standards do not meet the MHRA GDP guidelines. In particular pharmacy can lack control procedures for temperature monitoring and logistics, two basic essential requirements of GDP. Pharmacists wishing to apply for warehouse licences in the future will already be looking at their pharmacy standards to bring them into line with the MRHA’s guidelines.
( For more information regarding the rebalancing of the regulations follow the link http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/cpo-statement )
With the price of data loggers such as LogTag dropping to affordable levels there is no excuse for pharmacies and warehouses not to be compliant. Most small pharmacies do not need highly sophisticated temperature monitoring systems and could map their warehouse themselves with a little training from Pharmacy Consulting.
It will be interesting to read The New Boards recommendations and to see how the GPhC and MHRA will work together in the future to level the playing field. With the new Falsified Medicines Directive driving risk based validation of logistics couriers for warehouse licenses holders and pharmacies still delivering medicines in drivers personal cars with no chill chain capability there will be improvements required by pharmacies and warehouse licence holders imminently.
If you would like any information on how to improve your pharmacy standards to bring them in line with current GDP and MHRA warehouse Licence standards give Jackie a call at Pharmacy Consulting today. ( Mobile 07909836670 and e-mail jackie@pharmacyconsulting.co.uk)