The bigger picture

An issue inextricably linked to consent is that of confidentiality. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, as pharmacy professionals, are bound by the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) standards of conduct, ethics and performance. These lay out the importance of respecting and protecting people’s dignity and privacy, and not disclosing confidential information without consent unless required to do so by law or in exceptional circumstances. Such situations are generally considered only to be those in which the health, safety or welfare of the young person in question is deemed to be at serious risk.

Pharmacy team members are also bound by the GPhC’s Standards, as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have a responsibility to make sure that all staff members for whom they are responsible are aware of all relevant guidance and have undertaken training appropriate to all of the roles they fulfil.

Confidentiality is one of the cornerstones of healthcare, as the public are unlikely to ask for advice on the sensitive and personal topic of their health and that of their loved ones, or to disclose full information, if they do not feel confident that what they say will remain private. This duty of confidentiality extends beyond spoken conversations to all forms of information, including all electronic and printed data (such as prescriptions) and information that customers share that is not strictly medical in nature. It does not, however, incorporate anonymous information from which individuals cannot be identified, such as the number of people who have accessed a certain service, or information that is legitimately already in the public domain.