Lyn Maher

“Evidence was heard that 2 separate community pharmacists did not tell [the deceased], (nor pass a message via her family who collected the tablets), that she must stop taking simvastatin during the course of the clarithromycin, required for her chest infection. The pharmacists did not know she was taking simvastatin. I am concerned that there is confusion and a variety of opinion amongst community pharmacists around the extent of the expectation or duty to perform 'clinical checks' to enable safe prescribing and what that practically entails.”

“I am concerned that there is confusion amongst community pharmacists in Wales around the conflict between the expectation of safe prescribing/dispensing and patient confidentiality (when someone other than the patient collects the medication).”

“I am concerned that community pharmacists in Wales only have very limited access to the Welsh Clinical Portal, where they can see relevant drug history and recent test results, which would enable them to properly and safely counsel patients to stop contraindicated drugs (here simvastatin with clarithromycin) but applicable more widely. I heard evidence that access to such information is available routinely in English pharmacies, but only in exceptional circumstances in Wales. I have no understanding of why that is the case.”

“Here, had either community pharmacist had access to [the deceased]'s drug history, they would have noted the contraindication and either told [the deceased], her representative or written on the pharmacy bag that she was to stop the simvastatin. This likely would have changed the outcome for [the deceased].”