FS 4 - ftp 060611 v4.pdf - General Pharmaceutical Council

Fact Sheet 4
Fact Sheet 4
Fitness to Practise
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and
pharmacy premises in Great Britain. Our job is to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and
wellbeing of the public, and in particular those who use the services of pharmacy professionals or the
services provided at a registered pharmacy in England, Scotland and Wales.
Our principal functions include:
setting standards for conduct, ethics, proficiency, education & training and continuing
professional development (CPD);
establishing fitness to practise requirements, monitoring pharmacy professionals’ fitness to
practise and dealing firmly and fairly with complaints;
approving qualifications for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians; and
maintaining a register of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises.
We will aim to ensure that regulation is fair, proportionate and flexible enough to respond to the
changing demands made on the profession and to allow for innovation at the same time as maintaining
high quality practice.
How do we deal with concerns about pharmacy professionals
Ensuring public confidence in pharmacy professionals and the services they provide is an important part
of our role. We investigate concerns which suggest a professional's ‘fitness to practise’ is impaired and
may take action when their conduct, professional performance or health calls into question their ability
to work. In serious cases, we can limit or remove a professional’s right to practise.
What is ‘fitness to practise’
We consider a pharmacy professional ‘fit to practise’ when they can demonstrate the skills, knowledge,
experience, character and health required to do their job safely and effectively. Fitness to practise can
be impaired for a number of reasons including misconduct, including through having been convicted of a
criminal offence, and ill-health.
Do we act on every complaint
We don’t investigate all complaints that we receive. First we review it to determine if the information
provided suggests a pharmacy professional’s fitness to practise may be impaired. And if we can’t help,
we suggest who can.
What is our process for dealing with complaints and concerns
It is important that we deal proportionately and consistently with complaints and concerns about
pharmacy professionals, whilst making decisions on an individual case-by-case basis. There are three
stages in our fitness to practise procedures which are designed to protect patients and to be fair.
Fact Sheet 4 – Fitness to Practise

Stage 1 - Investigation
The way we investigate complaints (and the time it takes to do so) depends upon the seriousness and
complexity of the issues raised. All evidence gathered in the course of the investigation is then reviewed
and assessed against ‘threshold criteria’ which have been developed from our Standards for conduct,
ethics and performance. This enables us to resolve relatively minor cases swiftly and proportionately,
and refer others to the investigating committee.
Stage 2 - Investigating Committee
The investigating committee is essentially a screening committee made up of members of the public and
registered professionals. It considers allegations and decides whether a case should be referred for a full
inquiry. If it decides not to refer a case, it can accept written undertakings from the registrant or issue a
warning.
Stage 3 - Fitness to Practise Committee
This committee, which is made up of members of the public and registered professionals and may be
chaired by someone who is legally qualified, decides whether a registrant's fitness to practise is
impaired and, if so, the appropriate sanction. In the interests of public accountability, fitness to practise
committee hearings are open to the public, although where there are health issues in relation to fitness
to practise issues these may be held in private.
What happens if a pharmacy professional's fitness to practise is found to
be impaired
If a pharmacy professional's fitness to practise is found to be impaired, the fitness to practise
committee can:
Issue a warning
Impose conditions on his or her practice
Suspend them from practising
Remove them from the register and stop them from practising
We publish these decisions on our website and record them in our register. Even if we don’t find a
professional’s fitness to practise impaired, we can give advice to the professional to improve their
practise or another person or organisation involved.
For further information
If you would like further information on the GPhC you can visit www.pharmacyregulation.org
Alternatively you can contact us at:
Telephone: 020 3365 3400
Email: info@pharmacyregulation.org
17 August 2011