Dispensing error proposals

24 May 2015: Pharmacists have long worked under the threat of criminal prosecution for making a dispensing error and the proposed change to bring pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in line with other healthcare professions who make errors was highlighted by the BBC.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Breakfast. Speaking to BBC 5 Live, RPS president Ash Soni said: “What we want is an open and learning culture which enables us to learn more and to make care safer, because at the end of the day this is all about how do we get more reporting, more recording, more learning and therefore actually [make] care safer for patients.”

RPS member Cathryn Brown was on BBC Breakfast and said: “We have double checks at every stage of the process. So when we’re dispensing there will be a dispenser and a pharmacist looking at it. And then when we’re handing out the double check is with the patient. So we’re giving it out to them and making sure we’re giving it to the right person.”