In Profession news

Follow this topic

Bookmark

Record learning outcomes

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has shifted its position on the self-selection of Pharmacy medicines, recognising that regulatory guidance means pharmacies can adopt a more flexible approach to their sale and selection.

The RPS now says it is “supportive of the adoption of models that enable the facilitated self-selection of Pharmacy (P) medicines, where a community pharmacy chooses to implement such models”.

The RPS says that, when setting up these services, pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists and their teams must consider good practice guidance. It adds that a self-selection model may not be suitable to operate in all pharmacies.

In new guidance the Society says: “The facilitated self-selection of Pharmacy medicines must operate in an environment that is compliant with all regulatory standards and one which assures public and patient safety.

Regulatory standards must be met at all times and professional guidance should be followed. The superintendent pharmacist must ensure arrangements are in place so that patient safety is maintained and that pharmacy team members involved in the facilitated self-selection of P meds are trained to the appropriate level and know when to refer patients.

Where pharmacies operate a model that enables the facilitated self-selection of P medicines, the Responsible Pharmacist must be confident that processes are in place to ensure they are able to appropriately supervise sales of P-Medicines.”

In explaining how it has reached it current position, the RPS says that the General Pharmaceutical Council, in June 2024, adopted an outcome-based approach to standards, which enabled the facilitated self-selection of P medicines. This, says the Society, has led to pharmacies adopting a more flexible approach to the sale and selection of P medicines.

Last June the Society reached a consensus on how this professional issue would be addressed. A call for evidence survey ran from July to September 2024 and, in parallel, a literature review was conducted.

The findings were presented to the three national boards in February 2025 and will be published once a peer review process has been completed. The boards acknowledged that the facilitated self-selection of P medicines was already in operation within some community pharmacies.

The national boards committed the RPS to develop professional guidance and resources for those who wish to operate under a model that enables the facilitated self-selection of P medicines.

In addition, the RPS recommends:

• Ongoing research into the risks and benefits of the facilitated self-selection of P medicines in real-world practice

• Implementation of mandatory training for pharmacy teams operating this model, including the identification and management of risk from P medicine self-selection

• Exploration and adoption of the use of technological solutions to flag high-risk P medicines, minimise inappropriate sales and support safe and effective care for people independent of the model used.

RPS says it will collaborate with other organisations to support safe implementation of the self-selection of P medicines, including a public campaign to support the role of community pharmacy in self-care.

The Society adds that it “supports innovation and new models of care that continue to ensure patient safety is maintained. The position statement, along with the accompanying recognises changes in practice and supports both the pace of change in delivery of healthcare together with those pharmacists and their wider teams delivering it.”