The first of the online workshops runs from today (January 17) until January 31, and will collect feedback from pharmacists about “what quality means in pharmacy practice”, the GPhC said in a statement.

The regulator announced it was conducting a "programme of work" on pressure in community pharmacy in June 2016, after negative coverage in the Guardian and the pharmacy media highlighted the scale of workplace pressures affecting the sector, as detailed in a Pharmacists’ Defence Association survey.

The workshops will feature conversations with “those involved in the delivery or oversight of pharmacy services”, the GPhC said. The speakers will focus on “three broad elements of quality: safety, effectiveness, and patient experience”, it added.

Patients' views sought

The GPhC will also seek feedback from patients and members of the public on their experiences of good care in community pharmacy.

Both sets of feedback will help the GPhC to “better understand pressures that pharmacy professionals may experience in the workplace, and whether and how they impact the quality of services and patient outcomes”, the regulator said.

Duncan Rudkin, GPhC chief executive, said: “This discussion on what quality means in pharmacy is particularly important at a time when there are growing expectations of how pharmacy can support people’s health and well-being, and when pharmacy professionals are reporting they are experiencing pressures that could potentially affect the quality of care they provide.”

All pharmacy professionals, pharmacy owners, and those who attended the GPhC’s workplace pressures seminar in October, will be invited via email to take part in the online workshop. Other stakeholders who wish to contribute can email [email protected], the GPhC said.