General Pharmaceutical Council

Introduction

I’m writing this introduction having just arrived back from the APTUK conference and find myself energised by the excellent speakers I heard and conversations I had whilst there. At the conference I met a group of committed and enthusiastic professionals who were well informed and keen to learn more. I would like to congratulate APTUK on a successful conference and I look forward to working with all pharmacy technicians as we work toward the transfer of regulation to the GPhC.

The APTUK conference marks the beginning of the ‘conference season’ and the GPhC will be out around the country over the coming months, with our Chair Bob Nicholls and other colleagues meeting you. As well as conferences, our Council members have been out and about, and this will continue. Council members have been to Local Practice Forums, accompanied RPSGB inspectors on pharmacy visits, met with stakeholders and presented at conferences and meetings all over the country. I know they have been finding the opportunity to do so informative and enjoyable.

This e-bulletin features updates on some key developments on standards and rules as well as news of some appointments in our executive team which will invaluable as we develop the organisation.

Best regards,
Duncan Rudkin

Establishment update

At an extra Council meeting held on 3 June the GPhC Council considered the consultation response to the five sets of rules consulted on earlier this year. Comments raised in the consultation were factored into re-drafted rules. The Council reviewed and finalised a report on the consultation, and made the rules in their revised form.

The rules are now subject to Parliamentary process before the come they can come into effect on the date of transfer of regulatory responsibility. Currently a September transfer date is being aimed for and this process is one of the critical statutory processes involved with hitting this date.

Also currently subject to parliamentary process is the transfer order, which outlines, amongst other things, the assets and intellectual property which will transfer from the RPSGB to the GPhC along with regulatory responsibility.

Standards

Following a consultation by the CHRE we revised and re-consulted on redrafted standards recently. We have, this month, following consideration of consultation responses and redrafting in places, agreed four sets of Standards. These were:

• Conduct, ethics and performance
• Initial education and training for pharmacy technicians
• Continuing Professional Development (interim)
• Pharmacy Owners and Superintendent Pharmacists (interim)

In some cases we are proposing to set interim standards, namely CPD and Owners, premises and superintendent pharmacists. This will allow us time to carry out further work on important issues while continuing to protect the health and safety of patients and the public.

The consultation response document is available here. We recognise the importance of ensuring all registrants are kept abreast of changes to standards and will be sending out key standards to all registrants ahead of the transfer of regulation.

Director Appointments

The GPhC has recently appointed two new members Directors who will join Duncan Rudkin and Bernard Kelly in the executive team. The new Directors are:

Director of Regulatory Services, will be Hilary Lloyd. Hilary has extensive experience of professional regulation in a time of change, having held the post of Change Director when the Solicitors Regulation Authority was created. More recently, she has been interim Director of Regulation at the General Social Care Council, where she has led the recovery and transformation of the conduct function. We plan for Hilary to start with us in early July, which is excellent news.

Hillary says: “I am delighted to be joining the GPhC in this vital role. The opportunity to develop a function to ensure that as a new regulator, the GPhC is proportionate, fair, efficient and effective, offers a tremendous and exciting challenge which I relish.”

Our Director of Policy and Communications will be Hugh Simpson. Hugh has a broad range of public affairs, communications and policy experience. He has worked previously as Head of Public Affairs and Devolved Offices at the General Medical Council and prior to that in communications consultancy and lobbying work. He is currently Deputy Director of Communications at the NHS Confederation. We are currently expecting Hugh to start with us early September.

Hugh says:. “I am very much looking forward to helping establish a new regulator and to engaging with the professions which will be vital if the GPhC will really be able to have at its heart, the interest of patients and public. Because it is a new regulator the GPhC has a unique opportunity to lead the field in the creation and delivery of modern professional regulation. Policy and Communications will play an important role in establishing that leadership.”

Council

The GPhC Council met on 16 June in London. As well as finalising the GPhC standards, the Council also agreed the future standards development work programme. A full agenda and papers are available here. The next public meeting will be in London on 21 July. If you wish to attend the meeting, please contact Caroline Rose on caroline.rose@pharmacyregulation.org.