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Education and training

The setting of standards for education and training is a key responsibility of the GPhC. It enables the GPhC to ensure that the standards of proficiency required for safe and effective practice are met at the point of registration.

The GPhC also has powers to set education and training standards for proficiency in advanced or specialist practice. This will be recognised with an annotation on the register of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

In the first instance, the GPhC will set education and training standards leading to registration as a pharmacist or as a pharmacy technician, and to an annotation on the register for those pharmacists who are eligible to be prescribers.

Other organisations, such as professional bodies, employers and commissioners, will also be able to set education standards, but only the standards of proficiency set by the GPhC will lead to registration or an annotation on the register. The statutory nature of the GPhC’s standards-setting powers differentiates the GPhC from other bodies that set or promote standards in education and training.

See also the GPhC's proficiency standards.

Pharmacists

The current regulator, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, began drafting new education and training standards for pharmacists in 2008. These draft standards have been finalised as part of the standards development programme and are available for consultation until 12th January 2010. The GPhC would welcome your views on these draft standards to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

As a result, during 2009 there will be just one consultation on one set of education and training standards for pharmacists, to be introduced in 2010.

These standards will apply to any university applying for accreditation or re-accreditation of a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree or Overseas Pharmacists' Assessment Programme (OSPAP) in the 2010/11 academic year.

(Note that these standards reflect the current arrangements for the structure and funding of the MPharm and pre-registration year programmes. Any changes introduced as a result of the work of the Modernising Pharmacy Careers programme in England, or similar policy developments in Scotland and Wales, will require further changes to the standards through the addition of developmental standards and revised learning outcomes.)

A further set of standards will be developed and consulted on for qualifications leading to an annotation on the register for pharmacists who are eligible to prescribe.

Pharmacy technicians

A set of education and training standards for the S/NVQ (Scottish and National Vocational Qualifications) level 3 qualification have been developed as part of the standards development programme and are available for consultation until 11th January 2010. The GPhC would welcome your views on these draft standards to ensure that they are fit for purpose. These standards will apply to all education providers wishing to operate the S/NVQ level 3 qualification for pharmacy technicians in the 2010/11 academic year. These standards reflect the learning outcomes agreed as part of the National Occupational Standards programme in 2009.

The draft Pharmacy Order 2009 includes provisions for the appointment of visitors with powers to monitor and enforce the GPhC's education and training standards. Visitors will operate in the same way as the current accreditation panels. The current programme of accreditations and re-accreditations of MPharm and S/NVQ level 3 programmes will continue as currently planned.

Inspection of other providers

The draft Pharmacy Order 2009 also allows visitors to inspect other providers involved in the delivery of education and training leading to registration and annotation. This will include employers who deliver work-based training as part of the MPharm, pre-registration and pharmacy technician programmes.

Standards have been drafted to reflect this and will come into force in 2010 following consultation. The monitoring and inspection policy for these providers will be drawn up by the GPhC and announced in 2010.

Providers will be given guidance and information on how to meet the standards before the inspection programme is introduced, probably in 2011/12.