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Patient confidentiality — GPhC CRA MCQ

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HardPharmacy Law and EthicsPatient confidentialityGPhC CRA

A patient’s adult child telephones to ask whether their parent collected antidepressants this month, saying only that they are “keeping an eye on adherence”. The parent has capacity, gave no consent, and there is no immediate serious-harm concern. What is the best response?

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Correct answer: A — Do not disclose collection information without consent or another lawful justification

Whether a prescription was collected is confidential health information. In the absence of patient consent, a legal requirement or a sufficiently weighty public-interest/vital-interest basis, the pharmacist should not confirm or deny it. Relationship, partial disclosure, caller identity checks or prescriber permission do not substitute for the patient’s authority, although genuine safety concerns should be documented and handled proportionately.

Reference: GPhC: In practice — guidance on confidentiality. https://assets.pharmacyregulation.org/files/2025-12/gphc-in-practice-guidance-on-confidentiality-updated-november-2025.pdf