Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been given guidance on how to deal with complicated issues relating to consent, confidentiality and keeping clear sexual boundaries.

The new guidance to those in pharmacy jobs is included in four new documents from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). It will help the pharmacy professionals meet standards relating to ethics, performance and conduct.

Pharmacists are encouraged to take action if they believe patients are at risk, while they are also told where to go if they want to raise concerns. The guidance on consent gives pharmacists tips on how to assess a patient`s capacity to give consent, while advice on how to avoid breaching sexual boundaries and the use of chaperones is also included.

GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said pharmacists often find themselves in challenging ethical situations.

Mr Rudkin said: "This guidance has been developed in response to feedback from our registrants and others that further advice on these topics would be useful. We would urge all registrants to read these new publications, so they know what to do if they face these issues in their practice.

"Our thanks go to everyone who helped us to develop the guidance by sharing their comments during our `taking a view` exercise last year. We also received suggestions for other guidance that may be useful, which we are now exploring."

Copyright Press Association 2012