Category: Pharmacist and technician responsibilities

Understand the legal and professional obligations of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in delivering safe, ethical practice.

Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy premises standards Safe dispensing practices

Child-Resistant Containers (CRCs)

Child-resistant containers (CRCs) are a key safety measure designed to reduce the risk of accidental poisoning in children. In community pharmacy practice, there is a strong expectation that medicines are supplied in suitable child-resistant packaging unless there is a valid reason not to do so.

Under UK law, the requirement for child-resistant packaging primarily arises from:

These regulations require that certain medicines are supplied in child-resistant containers where appropriate, particularly where there is a risk of harm if ingested by a child.

Controlled drugs Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards

Secure environments

Secure environments include prisons, police custody suites, secure hospitals, immigration removal centres, and other places where individuals are detained. These settings present unique legal and operational considerations because they sit at the intersection of healthcare law, custodial law, and medicines legislation.

UK medicines legislation (e.g. the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) does not always explicitly refer to these environments. In practice, pharmacy services must apply principles from primary care or secondary care, depending on the context, while remaining within the relevant legal framework.

Where medicines are dispensed from an in-house prison pharmacy for administration or supply to patients within the same prison:

Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Poisons and hazardous substances Record-keeping requirements

Requests for poisons and chemicals

Amendments to the Poisons Act 1972 and subsequent regulations have changed how poisons and certain chemicals are classified and regulated in the United Kingdom.

Pharmacies that supply regulated poisons or certain chemicals must comply with legal requirements relating to licensing, record keeping, and reporting suspicious activity.

The main legislation governing the sale and supply of poisons is the Poisons Act 1972 and the Poisons Regulations 2015.

Medicines licensing Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines Pharmacist and technician responsibilities

Medicines licensing and marketing authorisations

In the UK, a medicinal product may only be sold or supplied in accordance with its marketing authorisation.

The marketing authorisation (also referred to as the product licence) sets out the legally binding conditions under which a medicine may be marketed, sold and supplied.

Compliance with a product’s marketing authorisation is a legal requirement under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Medicines licensing Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines Pharmacist and technician responsibilities

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are active ingredients found in certain pharmacy (P) medicines, commonly used as decongestants.

Due to their potential use in the illicit manufacture of methylamphetamine (a Class A controlled drug), the sale and supply of pseudoephedrine- and ephedrine-containing medicines are subject to specific statutory restrictions under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

These restrictions apply in addition to the general legal requirements for pharmacy medicines.

Medicines licensing Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Record-keeping requirements Safe dispensing practices

Pharmacy medicines (P)

Pharmacy medicines (P medicines) are medicinal products that may be sold or supplied only from registered pharmacy premises and only under the supervision of a pharmacist.

The legal classification, supply restrictions and supervision requirements for P medicines are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, a pharmacy medicine is a medicinal product that:

Pharmacist and technician responsibilities

Responsible Pharmacist Legislation in the UK: Current Law vs. Proposed Changes

Responsible Pharmacist Presence: Under UK law, any registered pharmacy (a premises carrying on a retail pharmacy business) must have a Responsible Pharmacist (RP) – a registered pharmacist in charge – whenever it is open for pharmacy services (legislation.gov.uk). In practice, this means a pharmacist must be signed in as RP to lawfully operate the pharmacy and oversee the safe and effective running of the business. Only one RP can be in charge of a pharmacy at a time, and a pharmacist cannot be the RP for more than one pharmacy simultaneously under current law.

Pharmacist Supervision of Dispensing: By law, certain activities – notably the dispensing, assembly, and sale/supply of prescription medicines – must be carried out by a pharmacist or under the supervision of a pharmacist in community pharmacies and most clinical settings (gov.uk). Regulation 220 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968 require a pharmacist’s oversight for preparing and dispensing Prescription-Only Medicines (POM) and Pharmacy (P) medicines (with limited exceptions) (gov.uk). In effect, no prescription medicine can be handed out to a patient at a pharmacy without a pharmacist supervising that transaction under current rules. The RP is accountable for all medicinal sale/supply transactions occurring in the pharmacy. If the RP must briefly leave, the pharmacy’s ability to supply medicines is restricted – e.g. checked prescription items generally cannot be handed to patients in the pharmacist’s absence (except via delivery services or automated collection lockers) because the law has been interpreted to require the pharmacist’s direct supervision for any in-person hand-out (gov.uk). This is why, currently, patients may experience delays if a pharmacist is on a meal break or otherwise temporarily away from the dispensary – staff cannot legally complete a sale of a POM/P medicine to a patient on-site without a pharmacist present to supervise (gov.uk). (Note: The RP can legally be absent for a limited period (up to 2 hours per day) under the 2008 RP Regulations, but strict conditions apply and certain activities must pause during the absence.)

RP Duties and Record-Keeping: The role and duties of the Responsible Pharmacist are defined by the Medicines Act 1968 (as amended by the Health Act 2006) and the Medicines (Pharmacies) (Responsible Pharmacist) Regulations 2008. These require the RP to display a notice naming themselves, maintain a pharmacy record (logging who is RP and any absences), and establish and uphold standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the safe running of the pharmacy (legislation.gov.uk). The pharmacy owner/superintendent is obliged to ensure these records and procedures are in place and kept up to date. In summary, under current law the RP has personal responsibility for the day-to-day safe pharmacy operations, and any dispensing of prescriptions or sale of pharmacy medicines must be pharmacist-led or closely supervised by them.

Controlled drugs Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy premises standards

Safe Custody of Controlled Drugs

The Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973 set legal standards for how certain Controlled Drugs (CDs) must be stored to prevent unauthorised access. This article outlines what is required by law, what is best practice, and how to manage CD storage in pharmacies, hospitals, and secure environments.

Safe custody refers to the physical security of CDs. Certain CDs must be stored in a locked safe, cabinet, or room that complies with security standards designed to prevent unauthorised access.

The requirement applies to: