The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has identified the main issues for pharmacy regulation emerging from the Francis Report and agreed the actions that the organisation needs to consider in response, in order to further safeguard patients and the public.
The Francis Report looked at profound failings of care at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust from 2005 to 2009. While there are no direct references in the report’s recommendations to pharmacy professionals or the GPhC, the Council accepted that a number of the recommendations applied to all health professional and system regulators.
At its meeting on 11 April 2013, the GPhC’s governing Council discussed the relevant themes emerging from the report for pharmacy and pharmacy regulation. These included the role of patient experience and patient voice, transparency, candour, whistleblowing, professionalism and partnership working.
Council agreed that it would follow up all of the recommendations in the Francis Report relevant and appropriate to its work. The organisation will now produce and publish a response setting out its position and the actions that will be taken. A number of specific initiatives will be explored further and built into the organisation’s planning and work programme, including:
- considering how to strengthen the professional requirement to raise concerns and exercise candour
- deciding how best to capture and consider patient feedback as part of assessing risk in pharmacies
- investigating barriers which prevent pharmacy professionals from demonstrating their professionalism and whether further research is needed into this area
- considering how best to obtain, use and share relevant information from all sources internally and externally.
The GPhC Council also agreed that the organisation will regularly report its progress on the implementation of the actions it is taking, to ensure that the GPhC meets the first recommendation of the Francis Report.
Bob Nicholls, the Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council, said:
“During a robust discussion Council agreed how we will learn the lessons from the Francis Report and take clear action to help to encourage professionalism and improve the safety and quality of pharmacy services. We are committed to working constructively with the professional bodies, fellow health regulators and others to take forward relevant recommendations identified in the Francis Report itself and the Government’s initial response, including considering what more can be done to encourage and support health professionals to be open and honest with patients.
“Council has recognised that a particular challenge for the GPhC is considering how information can be shared more effectively with the NHS across England, Scotland and Wales and with other national professional and system regulatory bodies.
“We then need to make sure we have the systems in place to take quick and appropriate action when a pharmacy professional or pharmacy is failing to meet our standards. We are already working to improve our Fitness to Practise and registered pharmacy inspection processes as far as possible within existing legislation. And we welcome the Government’s commitment to modernising the legislative framework at the earliest opportunity so we can take faster and more proactive action.”
This discussion took place at the first meeting of the newly constituted Council, following the reappointment of three existing members and the appointment of five new members, who began their terms on 1 April 2013.