10.09.13
GPhC to regulate pharmacy inspections
Both pharmacies and their customers look set to benefit from a new policy that should ease regulatory and bureaucratic burdens.
The Department of Health has issued proposals with a view to make the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) the main regulator in charge of pharmacy inspections.
In seeking to give the independent regulator this sole responsibility, the policy aims to respond to concerns raised in the Red Tape Challenge, launched in 2011 to cut back on excessive and restrictive regulation thought to be harming the economy.
In the official report concerning the policy, the primary objective is to minimise burdens emerging from inspections to ensure compliance with necessary regulations and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
By making the GPhC the central regulator, except in tightly defined circumstances, inspections should become more streamlined. A memoranda of understanding between the GPhC and other regulators will be agreed at the end of this financial year.
Health minister Lord Howe said the policy “is not about altering or taking away inspection powers” but instead “improving the inspection regime and lessening the burden on pharmacy businesses”.
The Red Tape Challenge also highlighted the regulations concerning the responsible pharmacist provisions with a mind to review and revise them. This work will be taken up by a programme board chaired by Ken Jarrold and is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.
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