We work closely with many different people, groups and organisations.
Patients and the public
We regularly work with patients, carers and users of pharmacy services, and the groups that represent them to inform the development of our policies and the way we regulate.
Governments, the NHS, commissioners and providers
We work closely with the governments and the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as with local government and other commissioners and providers of health and social care. This helps us to ensure we regulate in a way that is responsive, and reflective of, developments in all three countries.
Professional and trade associations and bodies
We work with a range of organisations that represent the interests of pharmacy professionals or pharmacy owners. We meet with these groups to help us understand the experiences of pharmacy professionals and to inform our work.
Education bodies
We set standards for the education and training of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. To help us do this we work closely with organisations involved with pharmacy education and training.
UK health and social care regulators
We work together with other healthcare regulators to share information and examples of good practice.
The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the work of the GPhC, and the other health and social care professional regulators. The PSA reviews our performance, conducts audits, scrutinises our decisions and reports to Parliament.
Formal arrangement for working with others organisations
We have set up Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with a number of organisations. These are formal arrangements that set out how we will work together. MOUs help us to share information and intelligence and to avoid duplicating work.
We have memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with:
- the Care Inspectorate
- the Care Quality Commission
- the Disclosure and Barring Service
- Health Education England
- Health Education and Improvement Wales
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland
- Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
- Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons
- the Home Office
- the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP)
- the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency
- NHS Ayrshire & Arran
- NHS Borders
- NHS Counter Fraud Authority
- NHS Dumfries & Galloway
- NHS Education for Scotland
- NHS England
- NHS Fife
- NHS Forth Valley
- NHS Grampian
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- NHS Highland
- NHS Lanarkshire
- NHS Lothian
- NHS Practitioner Health
- NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services
- NHS Shetland
- NHS Tayside
- NHS Western Isles
- Patient Safety Commissioner (England)
- the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
- Save Face
- the Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Along with eight other healthcare regulators, we have also signed up to the 'Emerging Concerns Protocol’, a process to share and receive information and intelligence about possible risks to users of services, their carers, families or professionals.