What we mean by fitness to practise

Our approach to managing concerns assesses whether pharmacy professionals are ‘fit to practise’. This approach is in place to protect patient safety, to maintain public confidence in pharmacy professionals, and to consider any future risks to patients and the public.

Use the links below to jump to the relevant section:

What this means for people reporting a concern

What this means for pharmacy professionals 

Urgent cases: interim orders

Sharing information about a concern


What this means for patients and members of the public

A pharmacy professional is ‘fit to practise’ when they have the skills, knowledge, character and health necessary to do their job safely and effectively, and when they act professionally and meet the principles of good practice set out in our various standards, guidance and advice.

When we first assess a concern we look at our standards guidance, and our Good decision-making: Investigations and threshold criteria [PDF 671 KB] (also available in Welsh- Gwneud penderfyniadau da: Canllaw ar gyfer ymchwiliadau a meini prawf trothwy – [PDF 754 KB]) 

If the information we receive from a concern or declaration raises concerns about a pharmacy professional’s fitness to practise, we will make enquiries, and might start an investigation to check that the pharmacy professional can demonstrate they are fit to practise.

We may also carry out an investigation if one of our inspectors identifies a concern about a pharmacy professional during a visit to a pharmacy.

Investigating fitness to practise concerns

Dealing effectively with fitness to practise concerns is at the heart of our commitment to protecting patients and the public, and maintaining public confidence in pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

How an investigation is carried out depends on the particular facts of a case. Usually an investigation will include:

  • speaking to the person who raised the concern and any witnesses
  • speaking to the pharmacy professional involved
  • working closely with GPhC inspectors
  • visiting the registered pharmacy premises where an alleged incident(s) took place

Depending on the nature of the concern, we may need to get witness statements [PDF 408 KB] and evidence from patients, members of the public, members of the pharmacy team, employers, other healthcare practitioners, the police or other regulators.

See the following information for more details on what to expect:

How we deal with concerns

I’ve raised a concern – what happens next? [PDF 388 KB]

We work to complete investigations as soon as possible. However, investigations can take between four and twelve months from the point the concern was first raised. We aim to update parties on the progress of our investigation at least every two months. 

In many cases, after an investigation has finished we will write to the pharmacy professional to explain any learning which we feel they should apply to their practice or behaviour from the concern which has been raised. We keep a copy of this letter on our records.

What happens next?

When the investigation has been concluded, we will review all the available evidence and determine what action to take. All cases are assessed against threshold criteria [PDF 671 KB] which we use to decide whether to refer the case to the Investigating Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee; only the most serious cases are referred on.

If it is not necessary to refer the concern we investigated to one of our committees, we will write to explain the reasons why and, where appropriate, suggest other organisations that may be able to help. 

If the case is referred onto the committees, it is likely that we will need more information about what happened and we may need to invite you to attend a committee hearing to read out your witness statement and answer questions as part of the hearing. For more details, see:


What this means for pharmacy professionals 

Our role is to protect patients and the public and provide assurance that they will receive safe and effective care when using pharmacy services. For that reason, pharmacy professionals on our register must:

When we receive a concern or self-declaration we review carefully the information provided

In reviewing the concern, we review:

Occasionally we will need to ask the parties involved for some further information and might need to make some initial enquiries before deciding whether the concern received should be closed or referred on for an investigation.

Investigating fitness to practise concerns

If the information we receive from a concern or declaration raises concerns about a pharmacy professional’s fitness to practise, we will make enquiries, and might start an investigation. We will check that the pharmacy professional can demonstrate the skills, knowledge, character and health needed to do their job safely and effectively.

We may also carry out an investigation if one of our inspectors identifies a concern about a pharmacy professional during a visit to a pharmacy.

During an investigation, we may:

  • provide  pharmacy professionals with a copy of the concern raised about them and ask for a response
  • arrange a visit to their pharmacy to obtain evidence, take witness statements and to provide informal advice
  • ask them to undergo an assessment of their understanding of English.

If we receive information raising a concern about the pharmacy professional’s health, we may ask:

  • for further information in relation to their health
  • for information from their treating doctor
  • them to undergo a medical examination.

Our factsheet Advice and support for pharmacy professionals involved in the FtP process [PDF 462 KB] explains more about the investigation process and what we may ask professionals to do.

We aim to complete our investigations in less than a year of receiving a concern, and provide updates on the progress of our investigation every two months.

What happens next?

When we have finished our investigation, we will review all the available evidence and consider what, if any, action to take. All cases are assessed against our threshold criteria which we use to decide whether to refer the case to the  Investigating Committee (IC) or Fitness to Practise Committee (FtPC).

If the concern is not referred to one of our committees, then we will not take any further action. However, if appropriate, we will give you some informal advice as to how you can improve your practice in the future.

If the concern is about a health or performance matter, we may also offer you the opportunity to enter into a voluntary agreement, to work in partnership with you to manage the issue. Voluntary agreements are not statutory. Find out more about voluntary agreements [PDF 532 KB]

We will keep a record that a concern has been received about you and this information may be taken into account if any further concerns are raised about you.

If it is necessary to refer your concern to the IC or the FtPC, we will notify you and provide more information about next stages.


Urgent cases: interim orders

If we receive a concern where a pharmacy professional’s behaviour or practise presents a serious continuing risk to patient safety, or if they have a health condition which means that they are a risk to themselves or the public, we can apply to the FtPC for an ‘interim order’. Interim orders allow for a pharmacy professional’s registration to be suspended, or made subject to conditions quickly, while we carry out our investigation. You can find out more about interim orders in our guidance [PDF 450 KB].


Sharing information about a concern

You can find out what information we may make available about concerns in the investigation stage in our publication and disclosure policy [PDF 832 KB]. Also available in Welsh: Polisi cyhoeddi a datgelu CFfC [PDF 673 KB].

If appropriate, we share information about concerns with other organisations, such as NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, the Disclosure and Barring Service (in England and Wales) Disclosure Scotland, local NHS organisations or other regulators like the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

We have memoranda of understanding which set out how we share information with a range of organisations.