To Ensure That Enquiries from the Police Are Handled Appropriately

Wales

Procedure number: / 15
Procedure title: / Enquiries from outside agencies - police

Objective/ aim of procedure:

To ensure that enquiries from the police are handled appropriately.

Risk Management notes:

Handling inappropriate enquiries could result in the loss of reputation for the individual Pharmacist and/or the organisation and also possible further unnecessary actions. The enquiry may not be handled adequately and so the patient(s) may suffer harm.

Procedure:

1. Obtain full background information on the enquiry in the usual way, including contact name, position, telephone/fax number (or similar) and urgency. Supervised staff should hand over to a Senior Pharmacist to gather background information.
   
2. Establish the purpose for the request, i.e. does the police officer have a right to know the information in the course of their official duties - if not, do not proceed with the enquiry.
   If there is doubt as to whether it is appropriate for the MI Centre to answer the enquiry, inform the police officer that you will need to discuss the matter with the senior MI Pharmacist/Chief Pharmacist (depending on who is receiving the enquiry).
   In all other cases, inform the police officer that you will get back to them within the agreed deadline.
   Do NOT under any circumstances be drawn into giving an off-the-cuff answer or comment.
   
3. Consider the following:-
4. Does it involve a specific patient and their medication?
   For patient specific enquiries consider the issue of confidentiality. Encourage the police officer to obtain patient consent to disclose personal information about their medication, and where this is not forthcoming it is reasonable to ask for written confirmation that the information is needed in connection with a crime.
   
5. Is the enquirer a Police Surgeon?
   Police Surgeons are registered medical practitioners, whose primary role is the welfare of detained persons and victims; therefore information requests would be for either the detained person’s welfare, or alternatively, victim care. Police Surgeons require consent from the individual for examination and treatment.
   

Continued : ...

Date of Issue:Sept 2010Approved by: Fiona Woods, Director, WMIC

Review Date:Sept 2012

Version Number:v1.2

This procedure was produced by the Welsh Medicines Information Pharmacists Group

Wales

Procedure number: / 15
Procedure title: / Enquiries from outside agencies - police

Continued : ...

1. Is the information requested in the interests of the party concerned?
   If not, do not proceed with the enquiry unless the information is requested in connection with a serious crime, in which case further consideration is required (see below).
   If so, make sure that the information you provide is fair - in some circumstances you may be able to provide some, but not all, of the information requested.
   
2. Is the information requested in connection with a serious crime?
   It may be reasonable to provide information in this circumstance, but you should ask for written confirmation of the reasons why disclosure is sought before providing any information.
   

1. Provide information of a factual nature only, using sources that are in the public domain, e.g. BNF.
   
2. The police have their own procedures/systems for identification of tablets. Encourage the police to use these.
   
3. The senior MI Pharmacist should check the enquiry answer before it is fed back to the police officer. A written reply confirming the details of a telephone reply should be sent.
   

Further information

For further information/advice please refer to/contact:-

UKMi Legal and Ethical Briefing Number 2 “Enquiries from the Police” (July 2002)

Director, Welsh Medicines Information Centre

Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

Date of Issue:Sept 2010Approved by: Fiona Woods, Director, WMIC

Review Date:Sept 2012

Version Number:v1.2

This procedure was produced by the Welsh Medicines Information Pharmacists Group