There are close to 15,000 NHS community pharmacies across the UK and with each pharmacy employing on average between 5 and 6 staff, it’s vitally important that each pharmacy carries out the correct risk management procedures, part of which should be a DBS check.
At Disclosure Services, we have been working with Pharmacies for almost 20 years and during this time, we have accumulated a wealth of experience that is used to guide our clients.
Enhanced Checks
If the roles within your pharmacy involve Regulated Activity with Adults or Regulated Activity with Children in the form of providing healthcare, they will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a check against both the Adult’s and Child’s barred lists. These roles are typically Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians although roles that supervise those providing Regulated Activity will also be eligible for the same level of check as those they are supervising.
Both Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians should also be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), along with the Pharmacy in which they work. An individual that is not registered with the GPhC but practises as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, or refers to themselves as such, is breaking the law and can be prosecuted.
If you’re unsure of whether or not a member of staff is eligible for an Enhanced check, please ask one of our friendly and experienced client administrators who will be more than happy to help.
Standard Checks
Working out the eligibility for a Standard check within a pharmacy can be quite tricky as there are several roles that have contact with the public but they may not be providing healthcare or supervising somebody in a healthcare role.
Those that have access to patient records such as Prescription Clerks or Dispensers are likely to need a Standard check although if they are also giving advice to patients in relation to their healthcare on a regular basis, they may be eligible for an Enhanced Check.
If you’re unsure, it’s definitely worth double checking with our staff before submitting your checks as they will be able to give you advice on the correct level of check that you need.
Basic Checks
For any roles where any contact with members of the public is purely incidental and their role does not fill any of the criteria mentioned above, you may still want to carry out a Basic Check although as with all Basic DBS Checks, there is no legal eligibility to do so.
Roles such as Counter Assistants and Pharmacy Delivery Drivers may require a Basic DBS Check as they are responsible for handling and transporting drugs and other items so it’s likely that a Pharmacy would want to conduct a check on the person carrying out this role.
Still need answers?
If your role isn’t listed above or you need any help with eligibility or any aspect of applying for your DBS, please get in touch and we will be more than happy to discuss this with you to ensure that your checks are being submitted at the right level.
