Hundreds of pharmacists and technicians miss GPhC registration deadline
Practice GPhC tells C+D it received 345 restoration applications from technicians and pharmacists this month, with the "vast majority" from registrants who had missed the deadline.
Hundreds of pharmacists and technicians missed the General Pharmaceutical Council's December 31 renewal deadline and have paid up to £486 each to restore their professional registration.
The GPhC told C+D it had received 345 restoration applications from both technicians and pharmacists this month, with the "vast majority" from registrants who had missed the deadline. Pharmacists face a £486 fee to restore their registration, while technicians pay £297.
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Mr Rudkin: in favour of the principle that regulation is time-limited and it expires |
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The news comes as the GPhC called for powers to set a universal registration deadline to replace its existing rolling register. Under current law, pharmacists must renew on the anniversary of their registration date, seeing deadlines staggered across the year. The NPA had warned that the rolling register would cause more pharmacists to forget their renewal deadline in 2010. |
Your guide to legal changes in 2011The GPhC has now called on the government to allow it to set a universal deadline to reduce the "governance and compliance burden". "We're definitely in favour of the principle that regulation is time-limited and it expires. We don't wish to return to a system where people are sometimes retained on the register for months after they've ceased to practice," GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin told C+D.
"But we don't think it's necessary or helpful for the law to spell out detail what the expiry or renewal dates are – we would like to be able to administer that more flexibly."
The GPhC stressed that any changes would be subject to a consultation as well as "policy and legal communications" with the Department of Health.
Registration administration was the second most common reason for complaint to the council between September 2010 and September 2011, following issues with the June pre-reg exams.
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