The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) continues to see ‘significant rise’ in fitness to practise complaints. 

At the end of last year, I wrote about the GPhC’s concerns over record fitness to practise complaints.  At the most recent GPhC council meeting, a “significant” increase was again reported. 

The number of fitness to practise complaints made to the GPhC was 380 in March this year, compared to 227 and 244 in 2019 and 2018 respectively. 

Much of the increase related to what GPhC Director of Fitness to practise Carole Auchterlonie said was “pricing and profiteering”.  Despite the increase, Ms Auchterlonie said is was “unlikely that the rise would follow through into fitness to practise cases”.

Fitness to practise strategy and legislative reform updates

At the GPhC council meeting Ms Auchterlonie also referred to the “upcoming FtP strategy consultation” and “the proposed reforms to the regulators’ FtP legislative frameworks.”

The council paper did not give any further information apart from saying that “The intention behind the legislative reforms was to provide all regulators with a full suite of powers for handling FtP cases and the ability to set their own operational procedures through Rules without the need for Privy Council approval.”