Pharmacy Hub
The Pharmacy Hub at GenderGP provides pharmacies and chemists with all of the relevant information need for dispensing medication to your transgender customers.
Pharmacy Hub
Welcome to the GenderGP Pharmacy Hub! Our Pharmacy Hub is your go-to resource for guidance, support, and essential contact information to facilitate the seamless dispensing of prescriptions. In addition, you can conveniently request access to the required information for verifying the credentials of our genderGP endorsed prescribers by going to the Prescriber Credentials section of this page.
Prescriber Credentials
Clear Chemist Pharmacy:
Email: pharmacy@clearchemist.co.uk
Phone: 0151 203 6535
Smartway Pharmacy:
Email: info@smartwaypharmacy.co.uk
Phone: 0208 545 7758
Website: www.smartwaypharma.co.uk
Olympia Pharmacy:
Email: contact@olympiapharmacy.co.uk
Phone: 0330 113 8686
Web Chat: olympiapharmacy.co.uk
Website: https://www.olympiapharmacy.co.uk/
While we often refer individuals to pharmacies for their prescription needs and related services, it’s important to note that all inquiries regarding these services should be directed to the pharmacies themselves. Pharmacies are responsible for dispensing medications, providing advice on medication management, ensuring medication safety and compatibility, and addressing any side effects or concerns that may arise. They play a critical role in healthcare by acting as the final checkpoint before medications reach the patient, ensuring prescriptions are filled accurately and safely.
If you find that a pharmacy’s response to your queries is not satisfactory, there are several steps you can take. First, consider speaking directly with the pharmacist or a senior staff member to express your concerns and seek further clarification. Pharmacies have protocols in place for handling customer complaints and concerns, and escalating the issue within the pharmacy often leads to a resolution. If the issue remains unresolved, or if you believe the pharmacy is not adhering to professional standards, you have the right to contact your local pharmacy board or regulatory authority. These bodies oversee pharmacy practices and can investigate complaints, ensuring that pharmacies maintain high standards of care and professionalism.
Remember, your health and safety are paramount, and pharmacies are there to support you in managing your health effectively. Do not hesitate to advocate for yourself to ensure you are receiving the highest standard of care.
Regulations and Guidelines
At GenderGP, we strive to ensure the safe and responsible prescribing of medications to our members. We adhere to all of the relevant regulations and guidelines in order to ensure we uphold the highest standards of care. Our prescriptions, issued by GenderGP endorsed prescribers, comply with the following regulations and guidelines:
1. The Medicines for Human Use (Prescribing by EEA Practitioners) Regulations 2008:
- Regulation 2: An “appropriate practitioner” refers to a doctor or dentist who is legally authorised to prescribe medicinal products in their home country.
- Regulation 3: an appropriate practitioner who issues a prescription for a medicinal product in an EEA state other than the UK or in Switzerland is entitled to have that prescription dispensed in the UK.
- Regulation 4: Prescriptions given by appropriate practitioners must be in writing and include specific information such as patient details, medicinal product name, strength, quantity, dosage instructions and the practitioners’ signature.
- Regulation 5: Electronic transmission of prescriptions given by appropriate practitioners is allowed.
- Regulation 6: Repeat dispensing of prescriptions given by appropriate practitioners is permitted.
- Regulation 7: Exemptions exist for prescriptions given in emergency situations.
2. The Human Medicines (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019:
- Regulation 214: Specifies that the sale or supply of prescription-only medicines must be in accordance with a prescription given by an appropriate practitioner, with further details on the types of practitioners considered appropriate.
- Regulation 217: Sets forth the requirements and conditions for the sale and supply of prescription-only medicines, including the necessary information that must be included on a prescription.
- Regulation 217A: Covers the requirements for prescriptions to be dispensed in an EEA state, including the amendments made to remove references to the UK.
- Regulation 218: Provides the requirements for prescriptions given by EEA health professionals, including the conditions that must be met for a prescription to be considered valid.
- Regulation 219: Outlines the requirements for electronic prescriptions, including the conditions for prescriptions given by appropriate practitioners other than EEA health professionals.
3. The Human Medicines Regulation 2012:
- Regulation 214: Refers to prescribers as a doctor, nurse, prescribing pharmacist or other healthcare professional who holds the legal authorisation to prescribe medicinal products in their country of practice.
- Regulation 217: Covers the requirements and conditions for supplying prescription-only medicines.
- Regulation 218: Provides the requirements for EEA prescribers providing prescriptions to patients in the UK.
- Regulation 219: Outlines the requirements for processing and providing electronic prescriptions.
4. A Competency Framework for all prescribers’ Guideline:
We adhere to the guidelines established by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in their document titled ‘A Competency Framework for all Prescribers.’ This framework ensures that our prescribers possess the required knowledge, skills, and competencies to make safe and effective prescribing decisions.
By Adhering to these regulations and guidelines, we ensure that our members all receive safe and effective care while maintaining legal compliance.
For more information on these regulations and guidelines, please refer to the following sources:
Articles
Embracing Inclusivity - The Expanding Role of Pharmacies in Transgender Healthcare
Guidelines
Which clinical guidance do we follow?
Blog – Pharmacy
Keep up to date with the latest pharmacy news at GenderGP.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy: Starting HRT and what to expect
If you've searched, 'how to start transitioning', either as an MTF or FTM, you've come to the right place. For many trans and non-binary people, starting HRT is a defining moment for MTF & FTM trans people. It's the beginning of your transition journey, which may...
GenderGP Supports New Guidance From the Pharmacy Regulator
GenderGP welcomes the latest guidance issued by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which supports the notion that decisions around which medications patients should be taking should be doctor-led, rather than patient-led. Online pharmacies have traditionally...
Home Blood Testing Kits: A Guide
If you would like to do your blood tests at home, you can arrange for GenderGP to send you a finger prick kit. This can be ordered via our Help Centre. Make sure that you confirm with GenderGP exactly which blood tests you need done (e.g. full health check,...
Availability of Progesterone Pills over the Counter Is Informed Consent in Action
GenderGP welcomes the news that the progesterone-only contraceptive pill will be made available without a doctor’s appointment. It is important to note that the progesterone used in HRT is a bioidentical hormone, utrogestan or cyclogest, rather than the progestin that...
Trans Youth Laws and Rules
In December 2020, the Bell V Tavistock Judicial Review court case judgement was given. As a result of the determination, which stated that the court felt it was unlikely that young people could consent to treatment, the NHS suspended all referrals from the psychology...
Puberty blockers: Experimental treatment or safe and effective?
Puberty blockers are recommended for children and adolescents with gender dysphoria, but some have criticised them as an experimental treatment. Here we look at the medical evidence for puberty blockers. One of the most frequently cited objections to the use of...
Puberty Blockers: The Real Side-Effects
Puberty blockers are prescribed for young transgender people who wish to prevent physical development during puberty. In this article, we discuss puberty blockers and their side effects. We also discuss the pros and cons of these hormone...
Is unlicensed medication safe?
A lot of medication in trans healthcare is prescribed for unlicensed use. This sounds scary, but it’s actually extremely common. Unlicensed medication, also referred to as off-label or off-licence, is medication that is prescribed for a use other than that listed in...
Let’s Talk About Fertility – The Basics
Most of us are taught in school that as we get older our bodies go through changes called ‘puberty’. This includes things like girls getting periods and boys getting deeper voices. For transgender people, this can be an upsetting time, because the idea of growing into...