The CCA welcomes these important proposals which will go some way to creating a fairer system for pharmacy professionals, more in line with the treatment of other healthcare professionals who make honest mistakes in the course of their professional practice.
The threat of criminal sanction is a recognised barrier to system-wide learning when things go wrong. No pharmacy professional, or any healthcare professional, should be subject to criminal prosecution for making an honest mistake, and it is reassuring to see a more appropriate balance between the criminal law and professional regulation being laid before parliament.
CCA members, alongside other colleagues on the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group, have been continuously looking at ways to advance patient safety culture and practice across the sector. We have shared details of our work and evidence of the readiness of the sector for these legislative changes with the Rebalancing Programme Board. We believe our continued collective efforts, alongside these legislative changes, will contribute to a fairer culture and encourage greater transparency when dispensing errors do occur, creating vital opportunities for others to learn.