Reading List

A curated Reading List to support and extend learning from Learning Disability Awareness for Pharmacy Teams.

These resources are aimed at pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, dispensers, medicines counter staff, delivery staff, managers, locums, and other pharmacy team members. GPhC documents are Great Britain-facing, while most NHS and NHS England resources below are mainly England-facing. Scottish and Northern Irish learners should apply the relevant local legal, service, and professional framework alongside them.

1. Core Pharmacy and Equality Guidance

• GPhC - Standards for pharmacy professionals
  The core standards for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain, covering person-centred care, communication, professional judgement, and working in partnership with people receiving care.
  https://assets.pharmacyregulation.org/files/standards_for_pharmacy_professionals_may_2017_0.pdf

• GPhC - Standards for registered pharmacies
  The standards for pharmacy owners in Great Britain, covering safe and effective services, privacy and dignity, governance, and supporting vulnerable people to access care.
  https://inspections.pharmacyregulation.org/standards

• GPhC - Equality guidance for pharmacies
  Practical guidance on accessible and inclusive pharmacy services, including communication, signs and information, counters, waiting areas, and reasonable adjustments in service delivery.
  https://assets.pharmacyregulation.org/files/2023-02/gphc-equality-guidance-for-pharmacies-december-2022_0.pdf

2. Understanding Learning Disability and Reducing Barriers

• NHS - Learning disabilities
  A clear overview of what a learning disability is, how it can affect everyday life, and the reminder that support needs vary from person to person.
  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/learning-disabilities/

• NHS England - Reasonable adjustments
  Explains reasonable adjustments in healthcare, including longer appointments, quiet spaces, Easy Read information, and the Reasonable Adjustment Flag.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/improving-health/reasonable-adjustments/

• NHS England - Guide to making information accessible for people with a learning disability
  Practical guidance on making health information easier to understand, including Easy Read and other accessible formats.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guide-to-making-information-accessible-for-people-with-a-learning-disability/

• NHS England - Clinical guide for front line staff to support the management of patients with a learning disability and autistic people
  Useful guidance on diagnostic overshadowing, communication, passports, and individualised care. The autism-specific elements are broader than this course, but the learning disability safety points are highly relevant.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/clinical-guide-for-front-line-staff-to-support-the-management-of-patients-with-a-learning-disability-and-autistic-people-relevant-to-all-clinical-specialties/

3. Medicines, Passports, and Health Checks

• NHS England - STOMP and STAMP
  Guidance on stopping the inappropriate overmedication of people with a learning disability and autistic people, supporting regular medication review and person-centred optimisation.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/improving-health/stomp-stamp/

• NHS England - Annual health checks
  Explains annual health checks for people with a learning disability in England and why they matter for earlier identification of unmet health needs.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/learning-disabilities/improving-health/annual-health-checks/

• NHS England - Find out about the Learning Disability Register
  A plain-English explanation of the learning disability register, annual health checks, health action plans, and examples of reasonable adjustments in England.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/find-out-about-the-learning-disability-register/

• NHS England - Health and care passports
  Guidance and template information about health and care passports and how they support better, more individualised care.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/health-and-care-passports/

• NHS SPS - Covert administration of medicines: legal issues
  A practical pharmacy resource on the legal issues around covert administration and why ad hoc workarounds are not safe practice.
  https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/covert-administration-of-medicines-legal-issues/

4. Capacity and Legal Framework

• GOV.UK - Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice
  The statutory Code of Practice for England and Wales, relevant where capacity and best-interests decisions affect adult care in pharmacy settings.
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-capacity-act-code-of-practice

• NHS England - Reasonable adjustments that can support assessment of capacity of people with a learning disability
  Useful practical guidance on accessible information, plain English, and supportive adjustments when assessing capacity.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reasonable-adjustments-that-can-support-assessment-of-capacity-of-people-with-a-learning-disability/

Use this Reading List to deepen your understanding of learning disability, accessible service design, medicines safety, passports and health checks, and the legal frameworks relevant to capacity and best-interests decisions.