Who can be a peer?
The peer can be anyone who understands aspects of the pharmacy professional’s work and who is trusted and respected, so could be:
- A trusted colleague or line manager
- Someone with the same or similar professional background
- A colleague from a multidisciplinary team i.e. Another health and social care professional
- An expert patient
The peer needs to be independent and objective (not a partner or a family member or someone with a conflict of interest).
The contact details of the peer need to be sent to the GPhC.
The GPhC will only contact the peer to confirm that the discussion has taken place if the pharmacy professional is called for review, but will not request any information about the discussion.
The peer to peer relationship is a two-way process which involves joint responsibility for an effective discussion. Ideally the peer should have been briefed in advance about the subject for discussion and the logistics of the meeting.