GPhC faces scrutiny over fitness to practise delays and upheld complaints

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is under renewed scrutiny following the publication of its 2024/25 annual report, which revealed a 25% increase in the time taken to resolve fitness to practise cases. The regulator attributed the growing delays to the “increased complexity of the cases progressing to hearing” and warned that extended timescales are likely to persist into 2025/26 and beyond.

While the number of fitness to practise committee hearings remained largely unchanged from the previous year, the rise in resolution days has prompted concern across the sector. Timely and transparent fitness to practise processes are essential to maintaining public confidence and ensuring fairness for pharmacy professionals under investigation.

The delays come amid a backdrop of rising complaints about the GPhC’s regulatory performance. As reported by Chemist+Druggist, the GPhC received 30 corporate complaints in 2024/25, of which one was upheld and five were partially upheld. The upheld complaint related to poor communication regarding the closure of a concern. Two of the partially upheld complaints focused on the regulator’s conduct and communication with the complainant, while the remaining three cited issues with regulatory decision outcomes—including a lack of response to an email, incorrect jurisdiction identification, and incomplete information in a concern response.

The GPhC stated that it aims “to learn from all complaints, whether they are upheld or not,” but the findings have intensified calls for improved transparency and responsiveness in its fitness to practise procedures.

The regulator is also contending with a surge in concerns related to weight loss medicines. Since January 2025, the GPhC has recorded 746 complaints about the prescribing and oversight of weight management drugs—a sharp rise that may be contributing to the increased complexity and volume of fitness to practise cases.

These developments highlight the urgent need for the GPhC to streamline its fitness to practise processes and strengthen its communication with registrants. As delays mount and complaints persist, pharmacy professionals and stakeholders are calling for a more efficient, empathetic, and accountable regulatory approach.

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