The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has remained tight-lipped about any action it will take in the wake of continuing allegations of pressure from multiples to hit medicines use review (MUR) targets.

The regulator told C+D that it is sill “considering” the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) survey that showed that 55% of just under 2,000 employee and locum pharmacists at the multiples feel commercial incentives or targets compromise patient safety or professional judgement "around half" of the time or more.

The PDA’s findings were used by the Guardian to back up the newspaper's allegations that Boots is pressuring its staff to perform unnecessary MURs.

"Carefully considering any relevant information"

When asked by C+D last week whether the GPhC would launch a full investigation into Boots, the regulator replied: “We will carefully consider any other relevant information when deciding how we need to respond to the issues that have been raised.”

More on MURs

In a fitness-to-practise case published earlier this month, a former Lloydspharmacy employee told the GPhC that “constant pressure” to perform 400 MURs a year had led her to falsify 19 MUR forms.

Read what action the GPhC has taken to address target pressures at Boots so far.

Watch C+D’s video to see what the PDA has been doing since it published its survey on pressure at the multiples.

Do you feel pressured into conducting unnecessary MURs?

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