The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) this month (October 17) issued Chelsey Hannah Sherry, registration number 2203145, a warning for prescribing to “four patients on six occasions” while she was “signed off as medically unfit to work”.
The GP pharmacist and independent prescriber repeatedly “logged on to the clinical system out of regular working hours” between August and December 2022 and issued prescriptions to patients that were “personally known” to her, the hearing document said.
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She “failed to document” the prescriptions and “record any consultation with the patient” on their medical record, the investigating committee heard.
The regulator found that Sherry had “demonstrated a clear failure to use her professional judgement” by prescribing “when she was signed off from work by a medical professional”.
“Undermines public confidence”
Sherry issued prescriptions to “friends and family without there being an immediate need” to do so, the regulator said.
By not informing the patients’ GPs about the prescriptions issued, she “failed to work in partnership with others” and “communicate effectively”, it added.
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The committee found that her actions were “a serious breach” of professional standards and “[undermined] public confidence”.
“A warning is required to mark the seriousness of Sherry’s conduct and send a clear message to…all registered pharmacy professionals and the public,” it concluded.
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“GPhC standards and policies should always be adhered to to ensure that patient safety and public confidence is maintained and upheld,” it added.
The regulator issued Sherry with a warning to be “published on the register” and “available for 12 months”.
Read the determination in full here.
