The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is now receiving more than 9,500 fitness-to-practise (FtP) concerns in a year, its chief executive Kathie Cashell has revealed.
Speaking at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress on May 8, Cashell said the figure represents a 77% increase in concerns since 2023/24 - but added that the “vast majority” are “resolved or signposted appropriately at the very beginning of the process”.
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She noted that “only around 6%” of concerns result in an investigation, and a “very small number progress to the most serious stage” of a hearing before the FtP committee.
“In fact, in the most recent quarter, there were only four removals from the register, and these involved serious criminal matters,” she said.
“Taken too long”
Cashell acknowledged that the GPhC’s FtP investigations “have taken too long” and that this “has a profound impact on those involved”.
The regulator is “absolutely committed to improving the timeliness” of investigations, she said, and has “an ambitious improvement plan underway”.
And she noted that changes already made include increasing resources, restructuring and improving the triage and hearing processes, and introducing new acceptance criteria.
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Cashell highlighted that the regulator has also improved its handling of inspections by “introducing a more targeted, risk-based approach”, as well as “more proportionate approaches and streamlined reports”.
This has resulted in a more than 60% growth in inspection activity in 2025/26, with “almost 2,000 inspections delivered during the year”, she said.
She added that the regulator has set itself a target to “deliver budget savings of at least £1.5m in the next three years” and has “already delivered £700k of that target”.
“Not about punishing”
Cashell also told delegates that “fairness and compassion” is a key area of focus for the GPhC.
“I know that regulators cannot expect to be universally loved but I don’t want us to be feared either,” she said. “I’ve heard the phrase that some registrants see us a ‘pay and punish’ organisation – this is not what I want us to be.”
She added that it is “vital” that registrants involved in a concern or FtP process can trust they “will be treated fairly, proportionately and with compassion”.
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Cashell noted that the GPhC “monitors closely data on protected characteristics and outcomes” and “that shows there is no significant disproportionality in our decision making at all stages”.
“It demonstrates that regulation is not about punishing honest mistakes, but about protecting the public where there is serious risk,” she said.
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It comes after a new review by the GPhC last month set out “targeted actions for improvement” for pharmacies providing weight loss drugs.
The regulator said at the time that while “many pharmacies” deliver weight loss services appropriately, “standards were not always consistently met”.
