We have set up Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and Information Sharing Agreements with a number of organisations. These are formal arrangements that set out how we will work together. MoUs and information sharing agreements help us to share information and intelligence and to avoid duplicating work.
We have grouped the organisations alphabetically for you to find out more about these arrangements. Click/tap on the different sections below to navigate to the right part of the page; then click on the organisation's name to display details.
Memoranda of understanding | Information sharing agreements
Memoranda of understanding
Also see
A-G
The Care Inspectorate is an independent body that has been set up to scrutinise and improve health and social care services in Scotland. Their overarching objective is to ensure that people receive high quality care and services, and they work to promote and protect people’s rights.
The main purpose of our working relationship is to maintain public safety and confidence in pharmacy and care services. To support this objective, we will share relevant information which may include:
- Information collected during inspection or investigation of pharmacy premises and local providers of pharmacy education or training which indicate a significant risk to the health and wellbeing of the public.
- Concerns about a pharmacist or pharmacy technician's fitness to practise, or organisation's suitability as training environment for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
- Outcomes arising from relevant investigations and enforcement action.
- Information about sanctions imposed when the fitness to practise of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians is found to be impaired.
We signed our MoU in 2014, and this is reviewed every five years.
H - L
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is a specialist Health Authority that is responsible for education and workforce planning and development in Wales.
The purpose of our MoU is to provide a framework for collaborative working, to improve the quality of healthcare by raising standards and promoting professional development. We collaborate and share information where this is necessary to fulfil our respective statutory functions including in circumstances where:
- there are concerns about an individual pharmacy professional’s fitness to practise
- there are any concerns and relevant information about a healthcare organisation or a part of that organisation which may call into question its suitability as a learning environment for pharmacy students
- enforcement action has taken place against a pharmacy, and the outcome of that action is of relevance to the other organisation to ensure patient and public safety.
We signed our MoU in 2020, and this is reviewed every five years.
M - O
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. They are responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality and efficacy, as well as securing safe supply chain for medicines, medical devices and blood components.
We have signed an MoU to support the effective delivery of our respective roles and responsibilities.
Areas of information sharing may include:
- information about any concern which indicates a significant or potential risk to the health and wellbeing of the public, particularly in relation to the safety of pharmacy services or the conduct of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, or is relevant to the delivery of the other organisation’s functions, or could require a coordinated multi-agency response
- information about planned and performed inspections along with any relevant interim intelligence gathered
- information about relevant investigation and enforcement outcome
- information about the outcomes of fitness to practise cases
We signed our MoU in 2016, and this is reviewed every five years.
P - Z
The Patient Safety Commissioner’s role is to promote patient safety in relation to medicines and medical devices, and to promote the views of patients and other members of the public in relation to the safety of medicines and medical devices.
Both our organisations have a statutory role in promoting patient safety. To that end, we will keep each other informed of any relevant regulatory, policy or other thematic work relating to the safety of patients, specifically with regards to the use of medicines and medical devices.
We signed our MoU in 2023, and this is reviewed every five years.
Information Sharing Agreements
The DBS is part of the Home Office, and their function is to enable organisations to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain types of work, especially with vulnerable groups of people, by providing access to criminal record information in England and Wales.
We have signed an Information Sharing Agreement to promote co-operation between our respective organisations at an operational level and to facilitate the discharge of our respective statutory functions
We may share information in circumstances where:
- relevant information may be required by the GPhC to determine whether a registrant’s fitness to practise is impaired
- relevant information that is held by the GPhC in relation to a registrant’s fitness to practise may be required by the DBS to determine whether or not they should be placed on a barred list.
Our agreement started in 2018, and is reviewed every two years.
Request a copy of the information sharing agreement document, in full