Pharmacists must not be criminalised over puberty blocking hormones, warns RPS
In a recent statement, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has warned of the risk of pharmacists being criminalised for dispensing puberty blocking hormones to children and young people.
This follows confirmation by Judicial Review that the emergency prohibition order for puberty blocking hormones remains valid (the emergency prohibition makes it a criminal offence to supply puberty blockers outside the terms of the order).
The RPS also expressed concern that pharmacists who may not be aware of the extent of the order may decline to supply these medicines at all for fear of prosecution, which will negatively affect patient care, whereas their supply remains legal in certain circumstances, for example:
- When supplied to under 18s for very early onset of puberty (usually caused by another condition)
- To people under 18 with gender dysphoria already in treatment
- To people aged 18 and over
The RPS said, ‘It is challenging for pharmacy teams to support children and young people with gender incongruence and gender dysphoria due to the lack of comprehensive regulatory or clinical guidelines. This means there is often no easily accessible referral pathway to link people to the treatment and care they need, including mental health support.’
PM Healthcare agrees that in this contentious therapy area it is essential pharmacists are provided with the necessary guidance and treatment pathways that ensure their prescribing decisions are legitimate and supported. National and well promoted local guidance would help ensure confidence and guarantee that patients receive the necessary care, as well as referrals to other treatment options where appropriate.
If this is an area of care that you have a particular interest in and if you would like to share your experiences with us at PM Healthcare, please get in touch with the editor of PM Healthcare Journal at, [email protected]
View the statement from the RPS news page here – https://www.rpharms.com/about-us/news/
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