Social Media for UK Pharmacies: What You Can and Cannot Post Under GPhC and ASA Rules

The rules you are actually working within

UK pharmacies posting on social media work within General Pharmaceutical Council standards, the Advertising Standards Authority CAP Code and a continuing duty of patient confidentiality.

GPhC standards for professional conduct apply just as much online as at the counter. The ASA enforces the CAP Code, which governs how medicines and health services may be advertised. Patient confidentiality does not pause because you are posting from a phone.

The practical point is simple. Pharmacy social media is regulated communication, not ordinary marketing, and it deserves the same care as any professional output.

What you can confidently post

You can confidently post general health education, seasonal advice, opening hours, service announcements and team content that humanises your pharmacy.

There is far more safe, valuable content available than most pharmacies use. Signposting to trusted NHS resources is particularly good practice, since it positions you as a responsible source and aligns with the helpful content that performs well in search.

• General health and wellbeing education
• Seasonal advice, such as flu vaccination availability
• Opening hours, new services and practical updates
• Behind the scenes content introducing your team
• Links to trusted NHS and public health resources

What you must avoid

You must avoid advertising prescription-only medicines to the public, making claims you cannot substantiate, and sharing anything that could identify a patient.

Advertising prescription-only medicines to the public is a firm legal line, not a guideline. Claims about treatments or products must be evidenced, and patient information must never appear, however well disguised you believe it to be.

Testimonials need particular care. A general service review may be acceptable, but anything referencing a specific medicine or implying a clinical outcome can quickly become prohibited.

Building a compliant content routine

The safest approach is a short internal checklist applied before anything is published, supported by a lightweight approval process.

Three questions catch most problems. Does the content reference a prescription-only medicine? Does it make a claim you cannot evidence? Could it identify a patient? If the answer to any is yes, it does not go out.

A documented approval step protects both the person posting and the pharmacy, and it makes social media far less daunting for staff who worry about getting it wrong.