Pharmacists and technicians will have to undergo enhanced Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks when joining a new employer, following changes to the government's vetting and barring scheme today (September 10).

The scheme, which was drafted as a result of the Soham murders, will apply to the recruitment of permanent pharmacists, locums and technicians. The checks will not be extended to other pharmacy retail staff, such as counter assistants, following a campaign by Pharmacy Voice and other bodies.

But the NPA's pharmacy services department said it had received a high volume of enquiries regarding the checks, as members expressed confusion over the legislation and questioned whether they needed to vet existing employees.

The vetting scheme will apply to the recruitment of permanent pharmacists, locums and technicians but not counter assistants

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The NPA said it was working, through umbrella group Pharmacy Voice, to ensure the regulatory impact of the new laws was "minimised" and advised employers to focus their efforts on new locums and employees. "The checks are intended to be undertaken as a person starts regulated activity and are intended as part of the recruitment process," the NPA's pharmacy services department said in advice to members.

It added that there was still a lack of clarity on whether the legislation should be extended to locums, but said it would be "prudent" to conduct the checks on new bookings.

The NPA warned employers that they could not currently take a person's registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as proof that they were not on the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) barred list.

Although pharmacy professionals must sign a declaration saying they are not on the list in order to be a GPhC registrant, the NPA stressed there was no guarantee that this information was accurate. "Currently, this is a self-declaration and it is possible for someone who is on the barred list to be registered with the GPhC," it explained.

NPA head of pharmacy Leyla Hannbeck said it was at the employer's discretion to decide whether to accept a previously issued CRB check – and highlighted that the government had issued guidance on making the decision.

For more information on how to undertake CRB checks, click here.