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Patient and public involvement

This section outlines the interim GPhC's approach to involving patients and the public in the development of the new regulator and its policy.

There is a separate section with information on what the GPhC will mean for patients and the public.

The main objective of the GPhC, as set out in the draft Pharmacy Order 2009, is the health, safety and wellbeing of the public. This objective is supported by the GPhC's patient and public involvement policy and structures, which are as follows:

• The GPhC will have a Council that has at least an equal number of lay and professional members.
• All Council members will be independently appointed, which will help to dispel any perception that the Council could be overly sympathetic to the professionals who it regulates.
• The Council will have a duty to co-operate with stakeholders, including patients and the public, and must consult on all rules and standards with those stakeholders.

To maintain public confidence in the regulation of pharmacy, the draft Order makes it clear that the GPhC must be independent in its actions and must be independent of:

• government and day-to-day political pressures
• those who employ pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
• pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and the organisations that represent them.

The GPhC is therefore accountable directly to the UK and Scottish Governments. It is required to publish annual reports about how it exercises its functions, a statistical report on the efficiency and effectiveness of regulation and a strategic plan, all of which must be laid in the parliaments. The annual report must include a description of how the GPhC adheres to good practice in relation to equality and diversity.

The GPhC will further develop its patient and public involvement policy and structures once the Council and Chief Executive are appointed.

Consulting with patients and the public

The Department of Health carried out a consultation exercise on the draft Pharmacy Order 2009 between 8 December 2008 and 9 March 2009. In February 2009, as part of that consultation, a meeting was held with patients and the public.

Attendees at the events suggested the following:

• Engagement with patients and the public should take place on their terms, which would mean the GPhC investing in a carefully constructed, multifaceted and strategic involvement programme.
• When selecting and appointing lay members to the Council, the Appointments Commission should encourage applications from people with appropriate experience of dealing with the wide range of stakeholders in pharmacy.
• Use of the titles 'pharmacist' and 'pharmacy technician' should be restricted to those registered on the relevant part of the GPhC register, as these were the most meaningful titles for the public, but retired and former pharmacists should be able to refer to themselves as such.

The Department of Health and the interim GPhC are continuing to consult with patients and the public during 2009. 

As part of the work to develop the new standards for professionals, workshops with patients, the public and patient group representatives in England, Scotland and Wales have been held during summer 2009. The outcome of these workshops has now been fed into the main stakeholder workshops for consideration and many of the views of the patients and public have now been incorporated into the draft standards.

The formal consultation on the standards and rules is due to take place in autumn 2009, parliamentary timetable permitting.