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.