Concerns GPHC

Question 1

what is the importance of raising concerns?

Answer 1

Every pharmacy professional has a duty to
raise any concerns about individuals,
actions or circumstances that may be
unacceptable and that could result in risks
to people receiving care and public safety

-protect wellbeing of people recieving care

-can identify areas of practice which needs to be improved - take action as quickly as possible before any direct harm to public

Question 2

why might people be reluctant to raise concerns?

Answer 2

they will cause trouble for their
colleagues
* there may be a negative impact on their
career
* it may lead to difficult working
relationships with their colleagues
* they could face reprisals
* nothing will be done as a result of the
concern being raised

Question 3

what to consider when raising concerns

Answer 3

their professional duty to safeguard the
people they are providing care for and
public safety must come before any
other loyalties or considerations

• failing to raise concerns about poor
  practice could result in harm to people
  receiving care
• the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998
  (PIDA) protects employees who raise
  genuine concerns and expose
  ‘malpractice’ in the workplace

-if they do not report any concerns they
may have about a colleague or others it
may be out of line with our standards
for pharmacy professionals, and this
may call into question their own fitness
to practise

Question 4

how to raise concerns?

Answer 4

Pharmacy
professionals should find out their
employer’s policy on raising concerns or
‘whistle blowing’ and follow this whenever
possible. They should normally raise their
concern with their employer first, before
taking it to a regulator or other
organisations

• report without delay - risk of harm - to superintendant pharmacist, head office or pharmacy owner
• report to the immediate supervisor (line manager)

Report to another suitable person in
authority or an outside body

KEEP record - who they have raised it with and the response/action that has taken place

maintain confidentiality

Question 5

the law regarding concerns

Answer 5

The PIDA sets out a step
-by
-step approach
to raising and escalating concerns. It aims
to protect employees from unfair
treatment or victimisation from their
employer if they have made certain
disclosures of information in the public
interest

Under the PIDA
, pharmacy professionals
should raise a concern about issues which
have happened, or which they reasonably
believe are likely to happen, and involve:

• a danger to the health or safety of an
  individual (for example, irresponsible or
  illegal prescribing, abuse of a person
  receiving care, or a professional whose
  health or fitness to practise may be
  impaired)
• a crime, or a civil offence (for example,
  fraud, theft or the illegal diversion of
  drugs)
• a miscarriage of justice
• damage to the environment
• a cover-up of information about any of
  the above

Question 6

Extra guidance for employers

Answer 6

make sure they have fair and robust
policies and procedures to manage
concerns that are raised with them.
These policies and procedures need to
be accessible to all staff

• encourage all staff, including temporary
  staff and locums, to raise concerns
  about the safety of people receiving
  care, including risks posed by colleagues
• make sure that all concerns raised with
  them are taken seriously and the person
  who has raised them is not victimised
• make sure that all concerns are properly
  investigated and that all staff, including
  temporary staff and locums, are kept
  informed of the progress of the concern
  raised
• have systems in place to give adequate
  support to pharmacy professionals who
  have raised concerns, and treat any
  information they are given in confidence

take appropriate steps to deal with
concerns that have been raised because
of a failure to maintain standards

• have systems in place to support
  pharmacy professionals who are the
  subject of the concern, whether it is due
  to their poor performance, health or
  behaviour
• keep appropriate records of any
  concerns raised and the action taken to
  deal with them
• pass records of concerns raised to the
  manager or superintendent pharmacist
  so that they can consider an overall
  assessment of the concerns
• report on the concerns they have
  received through the year. This may be
  internally to their own staff, through
  their annual report or on their website
• have in place internal whistleblowing
  arrangements which are reviewed
  regularly to ensure they are operating
  effectively
• train managers to handle whistleblowing
  concerns
• not stop anyone from raising a concern

Question 7

where to go to get more advice?

Answer 7

f pharmacy professionals are not sure
whether or how to raise their concern they
should get advice from:
* senior members of staff in their
organisation
* the accountable officer, if the concern is
about controlled drugs
* their professional indemnity insurance
provider, professional body or other
pharmacy organisation
* the General Pharmaceutical Council or,
if their concern is about a colleague in
another healthcare profession, the
appropriate regulatory body
* the charity Pharmacist Support
* their union