The General Pharmaceutical Council has welcomed the publication of draft legislation on pharmacy supervision by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and devolved governments.
The new legislation introduced by governments across Great Britain aims to enable pharmacists to deliver more patient-facing clinical services and enable pharmacy technicians to maximise their contribution to pharmaceutical care through effective use of their skills and expertise.
The GPhC will develop and introduce new regulatory standards for Superintendent Pharmacists and Responsible Pharmacists, and Rules for Responsible Pharmacists, to support the implementation of the new legislation. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society will also develop guidance to support the implementation of the new standards and rules. The new standards and guidance will clarify and strengthen the organisational governance arrangements for registered pharmacies, specifically in respect of Superintendent Pharmacists (SPs) and Responsible Pharmacists (RPs). The standards will take account of the interplay between the two roles, including their responsibilities and accountabilities from both an organisational and a professional standpoint.
The legislation will enable pharmacists to authorise any member of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions in the absence of a pharmacist. This change will be enabled once the final legislation comes into effect, expected towards the end of 2025.
The legislation will also enable:
- pharmacists to authorise registered pharmacy technicians to carry out, or supervise others to carry out, the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of medicines
- pharmacy technicians to supervise the preparation, assembly and dispensing of medicines in hospital aseptic facilities
These changes will only come into effect once the regulatory standards and rules are implemented, to make sure that these changes maintain and enhance public safety.
The GPhC will hold a public consultation on its proposed new standards and rules, once the final legislation comes into effect, which is expected at the end of 2025.
Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive of the General Pharmaceutical Council, said:
“These reforms will maximise the use of the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and make sure all members of the pharmacy team are empowered to contribute fully to patient care.
“We will be working closely with the DHSC, the devolved governments, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK, Pharmaceutical Society NI (which regulates pharmacists in Northern Ireland) and the Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with the standards and guidance they need to understand how to safely implement these changes in practice.
“We want to reassure everyone that we think it is vitally important that patients and the public can have access to a pharmacist when visiting a community pharmacy, and will make this clear in the Standards and Rules. The requirement for a Responsible Pharmacist to be signed in when the pharmacy premises is open for business will also remain.
“We are committed to making sure that the changes are implemented responsibly and are done in a way that protects patient safety. We will also make sure that the changes are proportionate, so any burdens for businesses and their employees introduced by the new rules and standards are the minimum necessary to secure the benefits expected to result from them.
“Our public consultation on our new standards and rules will give everyone the chance to give feedback and help inform the final versions.”
Notes to editors:
The new legislation was developed following the 2023 consultation on pharmacy supervision which proposed amendments to the Medicines Act 1968 and The Human Medicines Regulations 2012.