The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7179 p873-877
22-29 December 2001

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New health council to cover N. Ireland

The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland will come under the remit of the Council for the Regulation of Health Care Professionals (CRHP) in the same way as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The Government accepted amendments to the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill during its committee stage on 11 December. The amendments recognise that, like the Society, the PSNI has a joint regulatory and professional role and that the CRHP remit will only cover the regulatory aspects. Regulation of health care professionals is a devolved matter under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, but the Northern Ireland Executive has given its consent to the move.

Clause 33 of the Bill, which covers the regulation of the profession of pharmacy, was approved by the committee on 13 December. The Clause allows the Government to make changes to the regulation of the profession by Orders in Council rather than by Acts of Parliament and has the support of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. It could be used to update the Society's regulatory framework.

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