GPhC reviews disqualification powers and opts for proportionate case closures

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced a strategic shift in its approach to disqualification proceedings, choosing not to progress certain cases to full hearings where public risk is no longer present. This decision follows a comprehensive review of open cases as part of the regulator’s development of a formal policy on its use of disqualification powers.

Since 2018, the GPhC has held authority under the Medicines Act 1968 to disqualify individuals from owning pharmacies and to remove premises from its register. However, until now, it lacked a dedicated policy framework to guide investigators and decision-makers. In reviewing its caseload, the GPhC identified a limited number of cases where pharmacy owners had voluntarily removed all their premises from the register. In these instances, the regulator concluded that progressing to a full disqualification hearing would not be in the public interest.

The GPhC cited the absence of ongoing public risk and the disproportionate resource demands of pursuing these cases further. Instead, it will recommend closure of these cases, while retaining the ability to use existing information to prevent future ownership attempts by the same individuals. This approach, the GPhC stated, aligns with its overarching objective of public protection and reflects a commitment to proportionality and effective resource use.

The regulator plans to invite its Fitness to Practise Committee to formally close the relevant cases and will continue developing a comprehensive disqualification policy to support future decision-making. This move also comes amid broader scrutiny of the GPhC’s timeliness in fitness to practise investigations, with the Professional Standards Authority noting delays for the sixth consecutive year.

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