Professional support
One-to-one support, every weekday, 9am until 5pm.
For all prescribing support queries, please email [email protected]
Our one-to-one support service is exclusively for RCPharm members.
Ask us about:
- Careers – newly qualified, returning to practice or changing sectors
- Clinical (in collaboration with UKMi)
- Pharmacy practice – legislation changes, guidelines, reclassifications
- Ethics – dilemmas, legal and professional issues
- GPhC-related guidance
- Medicines optimisation and polypharmacy
- Medicines sale, supply and storage
- RCPharm Mentoring
- The MEP
- Best practice and standard
- Foundation and student queries
- Prescribing
- Prescription queries – vet, specials, CD, private, repeat, requisitions, EEA, labelling, administration
- Revalidation
- Sector-specific – including hospital, community, industry, GP practice, urgent care, care homes
- Travel medicines
- And much more (Not sure if we can help you? Get in touch and find out)
Who will I be speaking to?
Our friendly and knowledgeable team are here to help all RCPharm members with questions and concerns.
Whether you call or email, you can be sure you’ll be talking to a human being with years of experience as a pharmacist.
Sabes
Sabes is the professional manager, who joined RCPharm in 2014 having worked in community pharmacy and academia.
Yogeeta
Yogeeta joined RCPharm in 2015, previously working in various sectors of pharmacy, including hospital, community, secure environments and GP practice. She is a prescriber and currently works part-time as a clinical pharmacy lecturer.
Alison
Alison joined RCPharm in 2022, having previously worked in secure environments and community pharmacy.
Suji
Suji joined RCPharm in 2022, having previously worked in secondary care.
Professional support update
The RCPharm professional support service provides one-to-one help, advice and support for members via phone and email. As one of our professional support pharmacists, and a pharmacist myself, I understand the challenges and questions you face during your day-to-day practice.
The good news is, the RCPharm professional support team are here to assist all our members with those queries and concerns. If you’re not already part of RCPharm, you’ll get complete access to our pharmacy guides, regular webinars, expert help from my team, and much more, when you become a member.
– Alison Murray, Professional Support Service
Top support questions, week ending 3 April 2026
Pharmacy practice
We have recently received a few enquiries relating to pharmacy practice including:
- If a patient has run out of a medication, which has previously been supplied against a PGD, can I make an emergency supply or should I refer the patient to a prescriber?
- In a hub and spoke dispensing model, can the clinical check be completed by the hub pharmacy?
- Can I make an emergency supply for a prescription only medicine for a patient visiting the UK from Singapore?
Our pharmacy guides have practical guidance and support on a range of topics including:
However, for further support and advice, please contact the support team.
Controlled drugs
We regularly receive enquiries about controlled drugs (CDs) including:
- I have found a discrepancy in the CD register, what steps should I take to investigate, record and report the error?
- In Scotland, do CD supplies made between community pharmacies need to be on the standardised CD requisition forms (CDRF)?
- I work for a drug and alcohol service, what procedures need to be followed if a patient loses a CD prescription?
If you have questions about controlled drugs, we have resources which can help, such as:
If you have any specific enquiries, please contact the support team.
Pharmacy practice queries
We regularly receive pharmacy practice queries including:
- Can lactulose be purchased over-the-counter (OTC) for a child seven years of age?
- Can I supply Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) after patient has missed four days of combined oral contraceptive pill?
Our e-Library has various clinical resources. If you do have any specific enquiries, please contact the support team.
Prescribing queries
We have received a few prescribing enquiries including:
- Can I remotely prescribe lidocaine for a pain clinic?
- What guidance should I be aware of when setting up a private clinic?
- Can a non-medical prescriber prescribe off-label medicines?
If you have questions relating to prescribing, we have a few resources that can help:
Get help from the Professional Support team
Is there something you need support with? Remember, RCPharm members can contact the support team or Prescribing Support team.
Top support questions, week ending 20 March 2026
Professional judgement
We regularly receive enquiries from pharmacists facing difficult decisions in their practice including:
- How do I raise concerns about patient safety and errors within my organisation?
- A GP has told a patient to buy amorolfine nail lacquer from my pharmacy for a condition which is outside the OTC product license. Can I make the supply?
- As a pharmacist prescriber, can I sign a prescription which has another pharmacist’s name on it?
- I have received a private CD prescription for 56 days of a schedule 2 medication. Can I dispense this prescription?
As a pharmacist, you’ll often have to choose between several courses of action. Our pharmacy guide on Professional Judgement can help with your decision-making process. However, for further support and advice, contact the support team.
Return to practice
We have recently received a number of enquiries from pharmacists returning to practice, including:
- I am returning to practice after a career break, what activities can I undertake as part of a work shadowing placement?
- What resources can RPS provide to help me build my portfolio of evidence for returning to the GPhC register?
- How do I complete the enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks when returning to community locum practice?
Our Returning to Practice pharmacy guide has information on regulatory requirements, professional development and case studies. If you do have any specific enquiries, please contact the support team.
Legal enquiries
We’ve received more legal enquiries this week including:
- Can I keep a photocopy of a veterinary prescription and give the original back to the animal’s owner if it is a repeatable prescription?
- Is a wet ink signature required on homecare prescriptions or can an electronic signature be used?
- Can unregistered staff in a sexual health clinic supply pre-packed medicines against a prescription?
Get help from our Professional Support team
Is there something you need support with? Remember, RCPharm members can contact our RPS professional support team or prescribing support team.