equality act

Question 1

what does the equality act 2010 do?

Answer 1

legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society

Question 2

why did the equality act 2010 replace previous laws

Answer 2

took all the previous 9 anti-discrimination laws and made them into one

Question 3

what does the equality law protect from discrimination against?

Answer 3

•age•being or becoming a transsexual person•being married or in a civil partnership•being pregnant or on maternity leave•disability•race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin•religion, belief or lack of religion/belief•sex•sexual orientation

Question 4

what are the 4 different types of discrimination?

Answer 4

• direct discrimination - treating someone with a protected characteristic less favourably than others
• indirect discrimination- putting rules or arrangements in place that apply to everyone, but that put someone with a protected characteristic at an unfair disadvantage
• harassment- unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive environment for them
• victimisation- treating someone unfairly because they’ve complained about discrimination or harassment

Question 5

where does the equality act apply?

Answer 5

• at work
• in education
• as a consumer
• when using public services
• when buying or renting property

Question 6

what do we need to consider when looking at this equality act from the prespective of a pharmacy?

Answer 6

• Standards of premises

* Services offered (e.g.dispensing, CPCS, NMS etc)

Question 7

what are the adjustments made for a disability in the pharmacy?

Answer 7

Disabled people should not be treated less favourably than other people for reasons related to their disability
•‘Reasonable adjustments’ to the physical features of pharmacy premises should also be made
•‘Reasonable adjustments’for disabled people should be made in the way that services are provided

Question 8

define disabled?

Answer 8

A person is considered disabled if s/he has a mental, sensory or physical impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
•‘Long-term effect’ is one that has lasted for more than 12 months (or will last > 12 months)

Question 9

what impairment is not considered a disability?

Answer 9

An impairment, which is corrected by medication or special aids, remains an impairment under the Act (but glasses and contact lenses are exempted)

Question 10

is diagnosis needed for this act to apply?

Answer 10

no

Question 11

what does the equality act not apply to?

Answer 11

Lifestyle choices such as tattoos and non-medical piercings which may lead to complications (deliberate disfigurements!)
•Seasonal allergies, unless it aggravates the effects of an existing condition
•Addiction to alcohol, nicotine or any other non-prescribed substance

Question 12

what should you be aware of in the equality act?

Answer 12

it applies only to patient not carer- speak to patient

Question 13

what is the patient assessment for?

Answer 13

1) Is person ‘disabled’?

2) Do the services provided by the pharmacy need to be ‘reasonably adjusted’?

Question 14

what should you consider when making reasonable adjustments ?

Answer 14

• Patient safety
• Resource implications (e.g. time and cost)
• Clinical governance
• Any changes to the service that you make should be documented to show compliance with the Act

Question 15

what are MULTI-COMPARTMENT COMPLIANCE AIDS?

Answer 15

also known as blister packs

Question 16

what are disadvantages of MCAs?

Answer 16

• Not all medicines are suitable for inclusion (e.g. stability problems, liquids, non-oral meds, ‘prn’ meds, meds taken in a special way, medicines where the dose is variable (e.g. 1-2) etc)•Labelling problems•Errors during the complex repackaging process•Changes to drug treatment in the middle of a pack•Reduces patient’s knowledge of medicines
• Time and cost considerations for the pharmacy•Patients may not be able to use them or use them incorrectly•Not child resistant packaging•Sealing of the packs/trays may not always be effective•Compliance with CD safe custody requirements in the pharmacy needs to be considered•Repackaging the medicine renders it unlicensed use -liability regarding stability (and expiry date?)

Question 17

what are the advantages of MCAs?

Answer 17

• May allow patients to keep living in their own home rather than being admitted into a care home
• May be safer than patients/carers/relatives filling their own MCA
• Useful as a compliance check
• Especially useful for polypharmacy where errors from incorrect administration are more likely
• Improve adherence in some cases (although other simpler interventions can be just as useful)

Question 18

what other ways can a pharmacist aid compliance?

Answer 18

• Supply medicines in calendar packs
• Large print labels or Braille attachable labels
• Supply a medicines administration record (MAR) chart
• Complete a medicines reminder chart
• Rationalise medicines by speaking to the GP
• Give advice about the timing of medication
• Administration aids for eye drops, inhalers, creams etc
• Offer a prescription collection and delivery service
• Advice on electronic reminders (e.g. phone apps, use of phone reminders)*For new medicines, New Medicines Service (NMS)