General Pharmaceutical Council
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published a new strategy with a focus on improving the quality of the pharmacy profession and outcomes for the public and patients.
The 2015–2018 plan replaces the 2013 version that had a much greater focus on improving the GPhC’s operation as an organisation, with priorities such as “making sure we have the right people in place, with the right culture and organisational policies and procedures”.
The new strategy will prioritise good quality regulatory services and putting people at the heart of the GPhC’s role. The reason for the shift, the GPhC says, is to unlock the potential of pharmacy.
Welcoming the new strategic plan, Ash Soni, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), said he is glad to see professionalism at the heart of the strategy and expects the GPhC to work with the RPS to ensure that this is fully realised.
“It is important that any regulatory changes are discussed with the professional body to ensure there are no unintended consequences on pharmacists acting in their professional capacity,” he said.
One change due to affect the pharmacy profession is forthcoming legislation that will seek to rebalance medicines legislation and professional regulation and decriminalise unintentional dispensing errors. It is not certain whether the legislation will pass through Parliament ahead of the next general election in May 2015.
