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The General Pharmaceutical Council has issued a warning to a pharmacy technician who “worked outside his scope of practice” when he attempted to make changes to at least one prescription while working in general practice.  

Matthew Deeks received a warning from the GPhC’s investigating committee on March 17 after concerns were raised about his professional conduct between June 2022 and March 2023.

It was found that while working in medicines reconciliation for patients discharged from hospital to primary care, he had “attempted to make and/or made changes to one or more prescriptions for patients” without discussing this adequately with the prescriber or another healthcare professional. 

Mr Deeks was also found to have “failed to carry out adequate monitoring and/or seek advice or escalate to a pharmacist or a GP” in the case of “one or more patients” who were prescribed high-risk medication. 

The GPhC said that it was incumbent upon Mr Deeks to escalate any queries around medicine reconciliation or medication reviews to the practice GP or pharmacist.

The regulator continued: “If complex presentation involving high-risk medication, such as an anticoagulant or oral steroid, was at the centre of a medication reconciliation, as per his employer’s standard operating procedures, Mr Deeks would have been expected to have escalated the matter.” 

Mr Deeks’ conduct was found to be in breach of five professional standards, including working in partnership with others and the use of professional judgement. 

While there was no evidence of patients coming to harm as a result of his actions, the regulator found the issues “presented a potential risk to patient safety” and also had the potential to “undermine confidence in the profession”.

It issued him with a formal warning to emphasise that he must act “within his legal and professional obligations including his scope of practice, and to practise only when he is fit to do so”. The warning will remain in place until March 17, 2026. 

Mr Deeks engaged with the regulator and said that after reflecting on his practice he felt regret and had “revised his practice in a number of respects”. 

He also alerted the regulator to “contextual issues” during the relevant time including his workload and working environment, as well as “changes in his line management”.