GPhC Council agrees to increase fees

The GPhC has now agreed a 6% increase in the annual registration fees for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies from September 2025.

At the July meeting, the Council emphasised that it is committed to minimising fee increases as much as possible, and after reviewing the GPhC’s financial position, the Council concluded it was necessary to raise the fees by 6% in 2025.

The Council “carefully considered” the concerns raised through the consultation. In response to that feedback, the Council decided to postpone making a decision on the fees to be charged in September 2026, to enable the Council to reflect further.

The consultation closed on 24 April 2025 and received a total of 3,166 responses. 

In summary:

• 84% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the reasoning provided in the consultation report for increasing fees
• 79% of respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the approach of raising fees by the same percentage across all registrant groups
• 96% of respondents stated that they felt the increase was either “much too high” or a “bit too high”
• There was a mixed reaction to the proposal to set fees for the next two years. 26% either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal, 47% disagreed or strongly disagreed and 24% neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal. 

The fees apply to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and owners of pharmacy premises.

This means that from September 2025:

• Pharmacist renewal fees will increase by £17 to £293
• Pharmacy technician renewal fees will increase by £8 to £138
• Pharmacy premises renewal fees will increase by £24 to £416

Chief Executive, Duncan Rudkin, said:

“We understand people’s concerns about a fee increase in this challenging economic climate, with many people facing financial pressures. We have sought to keep proposed increases as low as possible, by using our reserves, and making savings. We are committed to making a further £1.5million of savings on our expected spending by 2027/28.

“While we are mindful of the increased cost-of-living for everyone, we are also facing financial challenges. Like all organisations, our operational costs have continued to increase due to larger utility bills, supplier costs and National Insurance contributions. We are also continuing to see a significant increase in the number of Fitness to Practise concerns raised which has increased workload and costs.

“In addition, we will need to respond to significant changes in the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and in how pharmacy services are delivered. This will bring changes in the way the GPhC will need to operate and regulate in the future, as set out in our strategic plan.

“We have a responsibility to protect the public and give assurances that they will receive safe and effective care when using pharmacy services. To do this, we have to ensure we have the funding to carry out our role and our statutory duties.

“Our Council has carefully considered the concerns raised through the consultation and has decided to reflect further,  before deciding on the fees to be charged from 2026.”

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