The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7179 p895-901
22-29 December 2001

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Society News summary

Council agrees to move to mandatory regulation of pharmacy support staff

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is to move towards the mandatory regulation of pharmacy support staff.

At its December meeting, the Society's Council decided that the Society should develop proposals on how to progress regulation of support staff as part of the regulatory reform of the Society as a whole. There will be consultation throughout the profession and with other interested parties on both the approach being taken and ultimately on the proposals themselves.

Areas for consideration are likely to include:

• The scope and precise definition of the regulatory role
• Training and accreditation
• Identification of potential conflicts of interest and their solution
• Links with existing Society policy (such as the implementation in 2005 of standard operating procedures for dispensing and minimum competence requirements for dispensary support staff)
• Infrastructure, staffing and systems
• Funding implications

The Council made its decision after considering a range of options. It decided that taking no action was not an option in the long term and that the risks of not taking up a full role would outweigh any potential disadvantages or difficulties. The development of interim lists of support staff holding recognised qualifications failed to receive support because it was not considered an effective or workable way of meeting the public interest.

During its debate, the Council acknowledged that different levels of pharmacy support staff existed with varying degrees of competence. There would be risks in focusing regulation only on qualified pharmacy technicians (Scottish/National Vocational Qualification level 3 or equivalent), of which there were relatively few in community pharmacy. Since the Government's agenda included the encouragement of career progression, the Council concluded that whatever steps were agreed should apply to all pharmacy support staff.

The Council decided that it was the Society that was best placed to ensure the primary purpose of regulation, which was to protect the public. Another argument for the Society taking on the role was to ensure that the competencies and development of support staff would be in synergy with the Society's plans for the professional development of pharmacists in all sectors and the needs of pharmacy practice as a whole.

Support for a role for the Society in this area had come from the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, the Society's Hospital Pharmacists Group and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians. Opposition had come from those who saw a conflict of interest or other undesirable implications arising from the Society's involvement.

The Society's President, Marshall Davies, said: "The Council has taken an important decision that emphasises the Society's commitment to continuous improvement of the quality of pharmacy services. There is much work to do to ensure the best way forward but I am confident that we will be able to achieve an outcome that we can all be proud of."

The Society points out that progress in this area has been made in other professions. For example, the General Dental Council has regulated hygienists and dental therapists since the mid 1980s and is now awaiting legislation to enable it to regulate technicians and dental nurses.

The Council took its decision against a background of rapidly evolving expectations about, and public policies to deliver, safe and effective ways of working in the NHS. The NHS plan for England foresaw the need for proposals for the effective regulation of health support staff and guaranteed support staff access to training support. The Health Act 1999 allows for professional bodies to regulate supporting professions without the need for primary legislation.

Another factor taken into consideration was that an appropriate skill mix was needed in the pharmacy to allow staff to focus on appropriate roles as the profession develops. In England this was highlighted in "Pharmacy in the future: implementing the NHS plan", which promises to build on the track record of hospital pharmacy in making best use of support staff and enabling them to take on more responsible roles.

Survey, p902

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