The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) have collectively published a reflection and learning resource to learn from the Gosport Independent Panel report, aimed to support those across the pharmacy sector.

The Gosport report, published in June 2018, found that between 1989 and 2000, approximately 450 patients died due to the incorrect prescription of opioids. The pharmacy bodies say the aim of their resource is to learn from what happened and make sure that these failures in care are never repeated.

Tess Fenn, past president of APTUK said: “Since the significant failures at Gosport Memorial Hospital, the role of the pharmacy technician has evolved exponentially. Pharmacy technicians are now an important component of front-line pharmacy care and are often the first point of contact for patients and the public in both hospitals and community settings. As the role of the pharmacy team continues to expand, these slides should be used across all settings and will serve as a useful learning tool to ensure the harrowing events are never repeated.”