The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) published new guidance for pharmacy professionals on 22 June.
It provides a kind of ‘reasonable accommodation’, something that many Christian pharmacists feared would be dispensed with despite the consultation process earlier in the year.
The guidance specifically addresses the responsibilities of employers to create an environment where person-centred care can be practiced and to see that they do not discriminate against pharmacy professionals on the grounds of religion or personal belief.
Religion and personal values
A statement by Duncan Rudkin, the Chief Executive of the GPhC, said: ‘We recognise and respect that a pharmacy professional’s religion, personal values and beliefs are often central to their lives and can make a positive contribution to their providing safe and effective care to a diverse population. This guidance is intended to reflect the broad range of situations when a pharmacy professional’s religion, personal values or beliefs might impact on their willingness to provide certain services.’ It is hoped that, as a result of this, the status quo will be maintained in practice for pharmacists and their customers.
Good news for the workplace
One caveat is that whilst the referring of a patient for services is an option, it is stated that there may be times when this is not possible, or will contravene in some way the ‘person-centred care’ that all professionals support. It is also noted that the guidance does not give legal advice on ‘equalities related issues’. From the experience of Christians in other professions, it may be that some pharmacists still find themselves having to, for example, dispense emergency contraception against their wishes, or face a legal process due to a decision they make about a patient referral.
It was heartening to hear this good news for Christians in the workplace. But not all was so positive.
Freedom undermined
On 26 June, a retrograde step was taken by an arm of the UK Government in its apparent plan to undermine the legally protected freedom to hold a religious belief and the freedom to exercise that belief in modern British society.
Ofsted, for the third time, failed the Jewish, fee paying, Vishnitz Girls School in north London for girls up to age eight, for believing that they were not being given ‘a full understanding of fundamental British values’ as the school was not teaching these young girls about transgender issues or equal marriage rights. The inspectors stated that: ‘This restricts pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and does not promote equality of opportunity in ways that take account of differing lifestyles’.
According to Ofsted, the school’s approach resulted in pupils being: ‘shielded from learning about certain differences between people, such as sexual orientation. The school’s culture is, however, clearly focused on teaching pupils to respect everybody, regardless of beliefs and lifestyle.’
There were other problems, including ones around safeguarding, that the school had not addressed fully since its last inspection, and these must not be ignored as a key cause of why the Ofsted outcome was declared as it was. However, it is apparent that certain inspectors are very sceptical about any institution which questions the promotion of LGBTQI issues. If a school can be failed in this way despite teaching the pupils to respect everybody regardless of their beliefs, then it is clear that it is unacceptable to do anything other than teach, support, champion and promote beliefs which the state endorses.
Teaching biblical morality
Although it was against a Jewish school that the action was taken, the statements made by Ofsted may well have implications for any school that decides to teach traditional biblical morality and not promote unbiblical relationships.
It is probable that more schools will come under fire for a similar reluctance to teach very young children about transgender or gay lifestyles, even though they are within their rights to do so as it would be in keeping with their religious beliefs, as was seen in County Durham (en November 2015).
However, there is a chance that, with the law change to RSE (Relationship and Sex Education) proposed earlier in the year and currently being consulted upon, where the relationships education curriculum was ‘devolved’ to the parents in faith schools, careful structuring of this and its delivery could fend off intrusion from Ofsted of the kind experienced by the Vishnitz school.
Lobby the government?
In connection with this, some Christian groups are suggesting that now is the time to lobby the government over the proposal to have Ofsted monitoring the work of churches (en December 2016). This may well be wise, as Amanda Spielman, the new Chief Inspector for Schools, has been quite vocal (Telegraph, 23 June) about the teaching of British Values. These are, on the face of it, easy to support, but the application of them in certain hands could turn them into an oppressive weapon.
Although she was talking about terrorism and the breeding of it in illegal schools, the jump to fundamentalist ‘Christian teaching’ is not a large one to take in the mind of a secular liberal. But, with a government being propped up by the biblically conservative DUP, it is likely that the long grass is hiding the ‘Ofsted in church’ proposal. However, with some hearing the sound of the lawn-mower in the distance, it is worth being in continued prayer over this matter.
