GPhC fitness to practise concerns reach ‘record high’

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) received “a record” 5,477 concerns in 2023/24, its June council papers have revealed.

C+D reported that concerns “rocketed” 31% compared to the previous year, with the regulator receiving 1,423 concerns in the fourth quarter and a total of 5,477 for the year, the papers revealed.

Faced with a record influx, the GPhC said that it assessed 5,318 concerns in the year – up 27% year-on-year – and concluded 69 substantive fitness to practise hearings compared with 39 the previous year.

The GPhC also reduced the average time that it took to “triage” a concern to 12 days – “a promising reduction”, it added.

C+D’s report continued by saying:

“The GPhC flagged that the greater number of concerns and its improved productivity increase the risk that it could be “failing to act on serious concerns effectively”.

“And it added that its “organisational capacity…continues to be a challenge”.

“Despite this, it said it had chosen to keep “a reduced headcount” among its professionals regulation manager (PRM) team after losing 40% of its headcount.”

While its investigating committee achieved its “highest quarterly return for two years” of 23 closed or referred cases during the fourth quarter, the FtP committee finished “far lower than projected” with just 13 cases, it added.

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