General Pharmaceutical Council

Update from Bob Nicholls

Since my appointment, as part of my role to lead the establishment of the GPhC, I've been meeting a wide variety of pharmacy professionals, public/patient representatives and organisations in England, Scotland and Wales. My intention is to begin a dialogue and to seek to establish good relationships. I've enjoyed these meetings and found them useful and this approach will continue as we go through the coming months.

As part of this dialogue, I wish to draw your attention to the important consultation on the draft GPhC regulatory standards. It's being hosted by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) on its website and is open until 12 January 2010. I encourage you to take the time to read the standards and respond if you haven't already. In the New Year, there will be a consultation on the draft legislative Rules for the GPhC. In spring 2010, once we have legal status, the shadow GPhC Council will be able to lead its own consultation on the standards and Rules and this will give people a further chance to comment.

The coming months will be busy ones for the shadow GPhC and I appreciate your continued interest and support for our work.

Best wishes for Christmas and New Year.

Bob Nicholls, GPhC Chair designate

Establishment update

The work to establish the GPhC is continuing at a pace and the GPhC is on track to open in spring 2010 as intended. An opening date cannot yet be set and is subject to future parliamentary processes and timetables, which are yet to be determined.

Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive and Registrar designate, will begin work full-time at the shadow GPhC on 4 January 2010. Duncan joins the shadow GPhC from the General Dental Council and brings with him a wealth of regulatory experience. 

The draft Pharmacy Order 2010 was debated in and approved by the Scottish Parliament on 9 December. Once the Order has gone through the House of Lords and the House of Commons it will go to the Privy Council and, subject to parliamentary time, the shadow GPhC is likely to have legal status in March 2010. 

Having legal status will enable the shadow GPhC to formally exist and to make decisions. This will be followed by a period of further work to set up the new organisation before the transfer of regulation from the RPSGB to the GPhC takes place in the spring, parliamentary timetable and process permitting.

Key changes for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

Once the GPhC has legal status and an agreed timetable, all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's (RPSGB) practising registers will receive communications informing them about:

• the opening date
• the GPhC
• the transfer of their registration
• the regulatory standards and statutory obligations
• fees
• any actions they need to take as individuals or as owners/superintendents.

The transfer of registration of individuals and premises to the GPhC will be done automatically by the RPSGB, without requiring any action from practising pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners. Those on the non-practising registers will not be transferred.

All practising pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will receive a new registration number and pharmacy premises will also be given new numbers.

The relevant money for regulatory activities will be transferred to the GPhC by the RPSGB in spring 2010 once the GPhC is established.

As part of the modernising of pharmacy regulation, the opportunity is being taken to develop new standards for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, which are patient- and outcome-focused. Some of these will be introduced on the day that regulation transfers to the GPhC.

The new standards will provide a clear framework to sustain and enhance the development of high quality pharmacy practice. They will also ensure that pharmacy is regulated in the same way as other healthcare professions, wherever possible, and that the focus of regulation is on improving the quality of care and services.

Most importantly, they are intended to be fair and proportionate to the level of risk posed to public health, safety and wellbeing.

The following key standards for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are due to commence from the day the GPhC takes up its regulatory responsibilities in spring 2010:

• New standards of proficiency
• New standards for continuing professional development (CPD) - statutory CPD will commence shortly after.

There will also be a shift in emphasis towards outcomes for patients and the public in the standards for conduct, ethics and performance for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Statutory CPD requirements for all practising pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will commence shortly after the opening date, due to the need to phase the process for the legislative Rules. Undertaking and recording CPD will remain a professional requirement for all GPhC registrants in the intervening period.

Rules relating to pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists and premises will also be made after the GPhC is established, but will not come into force for two years in order to provide an opportunity for pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists to make any necessary changes.

Take part in the standards consultation - before 12 January 2010

The GPhC will be given the power, through the Pharmacy Order 2010, to set standards and make Rules in a number of areas including: education and training; conduct, ethics and performance; proficiency; continuing professional development (CPD); and in relation to owners of pharmacies and superintendent pharmacists in connection with carrying on a retail pharmacy business.

Following an extensive development process, involving workshops with professionals and patients and the public, in all three countries, the draft standards and supporting guidance and policy documents are available for formal consultation on the CHRE's website until 12 January 2010.

The GPhC is also consulting on new education procedures and registration criteria on its website www.pharmacyregulation.org. The consultation closes on 15 February 2010.

Council designate news

The GPhC Council designate had its first monthly meeting on 16-17 December 2009. Although the Council designate cannot take formal decisions until it gains legal status next year, it considered issues which will allow the transition to take place efficiently. In particular, the Council designate agreed in principle the GPhC's process for handling and learning from complaints about the organisation, as recommended by the Governance Sub-Group of the Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group (PRLOG), and the transfer of appointments from the RPSGB's regulatory groups and advisers to the GPhC. The next monthly meeting is on 12-13 January 2010.