A number of pharmacy bodies show unity in their objective to decriminalise dispensing errors. They have issued the following statement
Pharmacy Minister commits to law change on dispensing errors
The government has committed to change the law such that genuine errors in dispensing would no longer be criminalized. Pharmacy Minister Earl Howe stated in parliament on Monday 19 December that his department would bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity.
The move comes following representations from national pharmacy bodies that dispensing errors committed by registered healthcare professionals that have not occurred through gross negligence, recklessness or wilful harm should not face the prospect of criminal prosecution.
Pharmacy Voice, the Independent Pharmacy Federation, the Pharmacists Defence Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said in a joint statement today:
“The process of changing the law relating to dispensing errors has been a long and complex one. The profession has been active in seeking the relevant changes and has succeeded in achieving incremental movement towards our final goal. Ultimately, we are seeking a change to the law to remove the strict liability basis of offences for supply. That a genuine mistake which causes a dispensing error to occur can currently lead to the criminal prosecution of a healthcare practitioner acting in good faith is damaging to both the public and the professional interest. The pharmacy bodies will continue to work together to maintain pressure on the Government to deliver the decriminalization of genuine dispensing errors.”