Less than 30% of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians feel listened to by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) when it comes to developing policies, standards and guidance, a new survey has revealed.
Published yesterday, the GPhC’s first annual registrants’ perception survey sought views from 3,799 pharmacists and 1,569 pharmacy technicians, equating to 5.6% of the regulator’s register.
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It found that just 28% of respondents agreed that it “listens to the views of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians when developing policies, standards and guidance”, while 30% disagreed and 42% neither agreed nor disagreed.
Pharmacists (35%) were more likely to feel this way than pharmacy technicians (16%), it noted.
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The survey also found that 94% are “confident in their professional judgement” and ability to make decisions “in difficult or unclear situations”.
Some 90% felt capable of delivering “safe and effective pharmacy services”, though those working in community pharmacies more likely to say they did not feel capable (5.6%) than those working in other settings (3.9%).
Of the 4% of respondents who did not feel capable of delivering “safe and effective pharmacy services” and chose to explain why, 84% cited “workforce shortages, workload and time pressures”.
“A positive picture”
According to the regulator, the findings present “a positive picture of professional confidence and the continued relevance of the GPhC’s professional standards”.
Some 97% of respondents reported being “familiar” with the GPhC’s standards, with 75% saying the standards and guidance “help them deliver safe and effective care”.
One respondent told the GPhC that there remains scope for the standards to “better reflect the diversity of roles across sectors” - and suggested a “greater consideration of emerging areas such as social media, artificial intelligence and technology enabled care” to ensure standards “remain relevant, practical and future-focused”.
“Fails to keep up”
The survey revealed “mixed” views from registrants on the GPhC’s responsiveness to “emerging challenges and issues in pharmacy”, with 39% believing they do respond and 26% believing they do not.
The report noted that one respondent felt the GPhC “deliberately limits itself to a narrow ‘regulation only’ remit, despite many professional failings being rooted in wider systemic pressures”.
It said another called the GPhC “a very reactive body” that “fails to keep up with the curve when it should be leading”.
“The findings suggest that many registrants expect the GPhC to demonstrate greater visibility and responsiveness as pharmacy practice continues to evolve,” it added.
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The GPhC said it will use the findings from its survey to “inform our ongoing work, helping ensure that our priorities, programmes and regulatory activities continue to respond to the issues identified by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians”.
It comes after the GPhC took action against Voy and Bolt Pharmacy afterboth failed to meet all of the regulator’s standards at inspection.
And it follows the regulator failing to meet the Professional Standards Authorities standard for “examining and investigating” fitness-to-practise cases, with the PSA saying the GPhC “continues to take too long to resolve” them.
