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GPhC Standards – A clear way forward

18 March 2010

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has set a clear way forward for its standards development programme.

The Council has listened to the views of stakeholders, gathered during an initial consultation hosted by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE), and developed a plan of action which addresses many of the key points raised in consultation responses.

At its March 2010 meeting, the GPhC Council made a number of key decisions:
To hold a further consultation on revised draft standards of conduct, ethics and performance, building on excellent existing models, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's (RPSGB) Code of Ethics.
To consult on the adoption of the existing RPSGB standards for pharmacist and pharmacy technician education and training for the timebeing.
To produce and consult on draft interim standards for superintendents and owners.
To consult on a proposal to adopt current standards and guidance for CPD for a transitional period, with effect from when GPhC acquires operational responsibility.

The Council made a clear distinction between those areas where new GPhC standards are required on 'day one' of GPhC regulation, and areas where there is a clear need and opportunity for further reflection and development work.

Its decisions were guided by a number of key principles. First, the Council is committed to acting as a regulatory body which is independent both of the profession and of government. Second, the Council recognises the need to scrutinise and challenge the arguments and evidence for proposals which involve substantial change to existing regulatory standards. Third, the Council believes that it is in the public interest to make sure that regulatory standards command broadly-based confidence and respect among the professionals who will be asked to uphold them. Finally, all standards should be written in a consistent and accessible style, using plain language.

GPhC Chair Bob Nicholls said: "We are a new and independent regulator, whose main objective is public protection. In order to ensure public safety, the standards we set must command the confidence of the professionals who are required to implement and uphold them.

"It is clear to us as a Council that, despite the participative process to develop these drafts, there are further considerations which need to be taken on board. As we move forward, we will want to understand more fully how the expectations of patients and members of the public should inform the decisions we make about professional standards – there is more work to do on that front."

The interim measures (See Annex A below for full details), which were agreed for consultation in April, will enable the GPhC to keep to schedule and take on its regulatory role in 2010 while maintaining business and regulatory continuity for registrants. The majority of the standards will then be redrafted and consulted on at a later date.

The draft standards, which were initially distributed for consultation through the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) from 21 October 2009 to 12 January 2010, attracted a high degree of interest from stakeholders. Before making its decision, the GPhC Council reviewed a detailed analysis of, the feedback from stakeholders which the CHRE published today.

The GPhC Council's decision on the standards will be one of the first to be ratified at its first public meeting in April following the confirmation of the appointments of its members by the Appointments Commission on 17 March 2010.

The shadow GPhC gained its legal constitution as an organisation on 12 March when the General Pharmaceutical Council (Constitution) Order 2010 came into force.

Annex A:
The GPhC Council agreed that:
All the standards will be reviewed in response to the comments regarding consistency and plain language.

Standards for owners and superintendents
A revised draft set of standards will be produced for consultation at a date to be determined.
In the meantime, the GPhC will consult on interim standards, to take effect upon the GPhC acquiring operational responsibility.

Standards of conduct, ethics and performance
The GPhC will consult on draft standards, based on the RPSGB Code of Ethics, to take effect when the GPhC acquires operational responsibility.

Proficiency and education standards
The GPhC will consult on the adoption of the RPSGB‟s existing education standards and accreditation procedures for a transitional period, with effect from when the GPhC acquires operational responsibility.
The standards of proficiency and education and training standards for pharmacists will be revised for further consultation, at a date to be determined.

Standards for Continuing Professional Development
The GPhC will consult on a proposal to adopt current standards and guidance for CPD for a transitional period, with effect from when GPhC acquires operational responsibility.
It will produce revised draft CPD standards for consultation at a date to be determined.

Return to practice policy
Before the Return to Practice Policy is consulted on again, a fundamental review of this policy is required.

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