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Pharmacy profession will have new regulatory body

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH News Release (2007/0118) issued by The Government News Network on 16 May 2007

Carter report gives Government proposals the green light

Historic changes to the regulation of the pharmacy profession announced earlier this year have been endorsed by an independent working party.

The short-term working party, led by Lord Carter of Coles was asked to work with key stakeholders on proposals to form two separate bodies to oversee pharmacy - a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to regulate the profession and a body akin to a Royal College for pharmacy to provide leadership.

Submitting his recommendations to the Government, Lord Carter of Coles said:
"There is no doubt in my mind that a General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) should be formed and I hope our report points a way forward for the regulation and leadership of the pharmacy profession.

"It is entirely appropriate that the regulation of the pharmacy profession falls in line with other healthcare professionals, by ensuring regulation is independent of professional leadership. The transformation from a 'product-focused service' to a truly clinical profession, directly caring for patients and the public is to be welcomed."

Lord Carter expressed his thanks to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for their active contribution to this important work, and to the Kings Fund for helping the working party's deliberations on professional leadership in pharmacy.

He also urged Government to continue in its partnership approach to the changes.

He said, "I have heard no significant dissent from this during the time of the working party. Indeed, there was positive support. The complexity of establishing both a new regulator and an effective professional leadership body should not be underestimated. That's why I have recommended a rigorous approach to implementation, as a partnership between Government (on behalf of the public) and the pharmacy profession."

Lord Carter's working party recommended that Government establish a Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group. This Group would work closely with the pharmacy profession and the Devolved Administrations, advising Ministers on how best to ensure that the GPhC is established in a safe, efficient and effective manner. It would also help to make sure that a body akin to a Royal College is established in a manner that is fit for purpose in order to complement the responsibilities of the GPhC.

Welcoming the report and accepting this recommendation, Health Minister Lord Hunt said
"I thank the group for the considered work it has managed to produce in such a short space of time.

"In the past, pharmacy has not necessarily been given the recognition it so clearly deserves as a core sector of the health service.

"As we deliver more patient care in primary care and community settings the role of pharmacists will continue to grow and develop. We must do all we can to ensure that the profession is ready for the challenges ahead and the establishment of a General Pharmaceutical Council and a body akin to a Royal College will undoubtedly ensure consistently high quality and safe care for patients."

A PSNI spokesperson welcome the continued focus that Pharmacy regulation and professional representation is currently receiving from Government, and added

"From a Northern Ireland perspective we are grateful that the group has acknowledged that there needs to be full consideration of the practical and cultural differences between GB and NI, and respect that these differences have benefited patient care and pharmacy practise in Northern Ireland.

"In principle the Society supports the continuing the work to develop the concept of a Royal College and General Pharmaceutical Council, however, we consider that there is an equally compelling argument as to why the Society should remain as the independent regulatory body for Pharmacy in Northern Ireland.

"We wish to ensure that there is equal voice and representation for the devolved nations and their members."

At a seminar hosted by the Kings Fund to explore professional leadership in pharmacy, there was clear evidence of a growing consensus about taking the proposals forward in a collaborative manner across the pharmacy profession. Nearly all those present wanted to create a body akin to a Royal College to provide leadership for the pharmacy profession at national and UK level.

Hemant Patel, President of the RSGB said
"We want to work with others to ensure that the pharmacy profession can realise its full potential in improving patient care and safety. The RPSGB welcomes the publication of this report and the recognition in it that the Society will form a major component of a future body akin to a Royal College. We are already working with the PSNI and other pharmacy organisations to bring this to fruition.

"We recognise that the complexity of establishing both a new regulator and an effective professional leadership body should not be underestimated. The RPSGB has a great deal to contribute to this process and looks forward to working jointly and constructively with all stakeholders."

Although outside of the scope of the Working Party, Lord Carter also noted that the structure of pharmacy education appears to be subject to different mechanisms, when compared with other health professions. He asked that consideration of this issue be given elsewhere if the pharmacy profession is to make its full contribution to clinical care.

Notes to editors

1. The 'Report of the working party on professional regulation and leadership in pharmacy' was published on 16th May and can be found on the DH website http://www.dh.gov.uk/publications

2. The Government White Paper; Trust, Assurance and Safety, The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century, was published on 21st February and can also be found on the DH website at http://www.dh.gov.uk

3. The working party was led by Lord Carter of Coles and included the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers for England, Scotland, Wales
I. The General Pharmaceutical Council should be created in shadow form starting with the appointment of the Chairman and Board by the 1st June 2009, for GPhC to be fully functional by January 2010. The development of a Royal College should occur in parallel, and the effective operational date of such a Royal College should coincide with that of GPhC.

II. HR guidance should be developed as soon as possible on maintaining the skill base in pharmacy regulation during the run-up and transfer of functions from RPSGB to GPhC.

III. A Royal College for Pharmacy would:

- have a significant and necessary role in the development of professional standards;
- contribute to the development of competencies and standards for undergraduate education as a key stakeholder of the GPhC as the body with statutory responsibility for education and training;
- be involved in the development of pharmacy curricula and teachers;
- play a pre-eminent role in supporting the provision and assessment of pre-registration training nationally, working in collaboration with employers and education providers; and
- play a key role in the revalidation of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians alongside pharmacy and NHS employers and commissioners, that parallels that proposed for RCGP in the revalidation of GPs.

IV. A Royal College for Pharmacy should create an Academy of Pharmacy Practice to champion advanced specialist practice, and support and develop advanced pharmacy practitioners.
V. A Royal College for Pharmacy should create an Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences to provide a forum for pharmaceutical scientists, particularly those working in the academic and industrial sectors.
VI. A Royal College for Pharmacy needs to develop an organisational structure which best serves roles both across UK and in each of the devolved administrations, as well as providing a regional identity.
VII. The Department of Health, working closely with the Devolved Administrations and the pharmacy profession, should establish a Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group. Its primary purpose would be to ensure a cost effective approach, together with rigorous and robust performance management in the maintenance of the pharmacy regulation functions and the creation of the General Pharmaceutical Council, as well as ensure that a Royal College is fit for purpose to complement the responsibilities of GPhC. It would operate as a partnership between government and the pharmacy profession within a framework of the following principles:

- patient and public safety is paramount;

- enhancement of patient care;

- adherence to the principles of the White Paper including:

- harmonisation of regulatory components in line with other regulators;
- supporting professionally informed but independent regulation

- regular reporting to government and the pharmacy profession;

- good communication, with consultation as necessary;

- consideration of transitional costs associated with the establishment of the GPhC; and

- respect for the needs of the Devolved Administrations.

4. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB )is currently both the regulator and the professional body responsible for leading the pharmacy profession. The proposals will require the RPSGB to separate its regulatory system from its system of professional and clinical leadership, allowing each distinct function to focus solely on its core role

5. The King's Fund was commissioned by the working party to hold a seminar 'Professional Leadership in Pharmacy - Exploring the case for a Royal College for the Pharmacy Profession'. The seminar took place on March 20th 2007.

6. The chairperson and terms of reference of the Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group will be announced in due course. The Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group will be asked to take into account all the recommendations contained in the report from Lord Carter of Coles' Working Party

7. The Government aim is for the GPhC to be established and running in January 2010. Lord Carter's working party recommended that the body akin toa Royal College develops in parallel with the GPhC.