GPhC publishes response to rebalancing consultation

The GPhC has responded to the consultation issued on behalf of the four UK Health Departments on two draft Section 60 Orders to rebalance medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation.

As a member of the rebalancing programme board the GPhC has contributed to this work since it began.  The response from the GPhC emphasises its support for the proposals in the consultation, which will bring parity in respect of dispensing errors for hospital pharmacy, and provide clarity about the respective roles of the superintendent and responsible pharmacist.

Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the GPhC, said:

“We very much welcome the move to bring parity in respect of dispensing errors for hospital pharmacy and other settings. The culture of learning and improvement must extend to the whole pharmacy service and this approach should support that.

“Under the proposals, we would be responsible for the development of three new sets of standards for superintendent pharmacists, responsible pharmacists and chief pharmacists, and the development of responsible pharmacist Rules.

“We have emphasised in our response that if we are given this responsibility, we will engage extensively with patients, pharmacy professionals and other individuals and organisations across pharmacy on the rules and standards to ensure that future rules continue to safeguard patients and the public using pharmacy services. We will use what we learn through this engagement and consultation to inform and test our proposals rigorously before we finalise and implement them.

“We have also highlighted in our response that in so far as the proposals transfer responsibility for certain matters from government ministers to the regulatory bodies, they also transfer the costs of that work from the public purse to those who pay regulatory fees.”

You can find a copy of our response to the consultation here.

More information about the consultation can be found on the Government’s website.