Independent pharmacists have raised concerns over the rating system for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) premises inspections, arguing that the excellent rating will be "impossible" to achieve.

Contractors and independent support groups expressed doubts over the need for the four ratings – poor, satisfactory, good and excellent – as opposed to a pass or fail approach.

They also argued that pharmacies would struggle to achieve an excellent rating until the GPhC clarified the requirements, which currently state that pharmacies must either demonstrate innovation or provide "unique services" to meet the needs of the local community that other pharmacies could learn from.

It will be "incredibly difficult for anyone in the country" to achieve the excellent rating as it stands, says Gavin Birchall, operations and marketing director at independent pharmacy chain MedicX	More on premises inspections Explain how you are meeting premises standards, GPhC chief tells independents GPhC rates most pharmacies only ‘satisfactory' under pilot inspection system New rating system will influence standards and buyer attitudes
	The GPhC stressed that it had developed its prototype inspection model after "extensive consultation" with the profession and the public. A minimum standards approach would fail to prepare pharmacy for the "many challenges" ahead, it added.

But Gavin Birchall, operations and marketing director at independent pharmacy chain MedicX, questioned whether this was the regulator's job. "We need to be more aspirational. I'm not sure that this driver should sit within the regulatory standards, however," he told C+D yesterday (April 22).

Mr Birchall added that it would be "incredibly difficult for anyone in the country" to achieve the excellent rating as it stood.

Numark managing director John D'Arcy echoed the comments. He argued that the GPhC had taken on the role of "Michelin star awarder" as opposed to regulator. "As it stands, no pharmacy can achieve the excellent rating, since the criteria have yet to be defined," he said.

Mr D'Arcy added that most pharmacies were being graded as satisfactory – a grade that could be interpreted as "not particularly good" by consumers once in the public domain.

Claire Ward, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacy Federation, said that although she felt the excellent rating was "impossible" to achieve, she agreed with the principle of recognising contractors that went "above and beyond" meeting the basic standards.

Jignesh Patel, owner of Rohpharm Pharmacy, Plaistow, also believed the grading system had the potential to drive up standards in the profession. "If you're going to improve standards across the country, you need a marker," he told C+D. "If there's no marker, the ones that are borderline [pass] will remain borderline."

The GPhC premises inspection model is still in prototype mode and the regulator has pledged to consider feedback from pharmacists before implementing it fully. In October, a GPhC inspector revealed that most pharmacies had only been rated satisfactory in its testing phase.

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