Participant Information Sheet

How are policies and procedures bypassed or deviated from in

community pharmacy?
Introduction
You are being invited to take part in a research study. This research will be undertaken as part of
a PhD. Before you decide it is important for you to understand why the research is being
conducted and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and
to discuss it with others if you wish. The information provided below will hopefully give you a good
understanding of what the research is about and how you might be able to help. However if there
are any other questions or clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me on the telephone
number or email address given below. Please take time to decide whether or not you wish to take
part.
What is the study about?
There is a perception that rules are not always followed in community pharmacy, however there is
evidence that deviating from the rules does not always result in negative consequences. The aim
of this study is to explore how the rules that govern how you undertake your work, such as
standard operating procedures are used in community pharmacy and the reasons that pharmacy
staff may not be able to follow the rules at all times. This research is funded by the National
Institute of Health Research, there are no commercial interests.
Why have I been chosen?
You have been chosen because of your role as a member of staff within a community pharmacy in
the UK. You have some sort of experience of working within a community pharmacy and you
might also be expected to have had experience of being unable or unwilling to follow the rules at
times.
Will I be paid for participating in the research?
You will be paid 20 in gift vouchers for taking part in this research. Reimbursement of travel
expenses will also be provided.
What would I be asked to do if I took part?
You will be asked to attend a one-to-one interview at a time and place convenient to you. It will be
an informal chat about the use of rules in community pharmacy and how factors such as lack of
time or staff may have led to you deviating from the rules. The interview is not to judge the quality
of your work, but to give you an opportunity to talk through some of the rules you may have
deviated from in the past.
Before the interview, you will be asked to consider the role that you do and to make a note of any
rules that you may have deviated from. This experience will be the basis of the interview and you
will also be asked some general questions about how rules are used in community pharmacy. We
are particularly interested in the nature of the rule that was deviated from, the situation in which

this happened and your reasons for doing so. The whole process will take approximately 30-60
minutes. The interview will be tape recorded with your permission, if you object the researcher will
take notes instead. The tape recorder can be turned off at any point during the interview.
Do I have to take part?
No, participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw from the study at any
point, without giving a reason. This study is being conducted independently of your employer. Your
participation in the research will not be disclosed to anyone.
Confidentiality
Any discussions that take place during the study are confidential. However, if you were to tell us
something that had led to patient harm, we would discuss this with you and encourage you to
report it through your companys established incident reporting systems. If you were to reveal
unsafe practice such as working under the influence of drink or drugs or dishonest practice such
as theft we may need to report to the GPhC after discussing this with you first. All data collected
will be anonymised, and stored on password protected university computers. Consent forms will
be stored separately in a locked filing cabinet at the university. Data collected via tape recording
and note taking will be anonymised and any identifiable information will be removed. Direct quotes
may be used when reporting the results of the study; however these will also be anonymised.
What will happen to the results of the study?
Once the study is complete we aim to publish our findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal
and the results will be used as part of a PhD thesis. The data may also be used to inform future
work. No participant will be identified in any publication.
Who has reviewed the study?
This project has been reviewed by the University of Manchester Research Ethics Committee to
protect your safety, rights, wellbeing and dignity.
Contact for further information
If you wish to find out more about this study or have any questions please contact Miss Christian
Thomas by emailing christian.thomas@manchester.ac.uk or by telephoning 0161 2758363 or
contact Dr Denham Phipps by emailing Denham.phipps@manchester.ac.uk.
What if something goes wrong?
If there are any issues regarding this research that you would prefer not to discuss with members
of the research team, please contact the Research Governance and Integrity Team by either
writing to The Research Governance and Integrity Manager, Research Office, Christie Building,
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, by emailing:
Research.Complaints@manchester.ac.uk, or by telephoning 0161 275 7583 or 275 8093.