About us
Who we are
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) regulates pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies in Great Britain.
We work to assure and improve standards of care for people using pharmacy services.
We are a statutory organisation set up by the UK and Scottish parliaments, and we are independent from government and those we regulate. Our role and functions are set out in legislation called the Pharmacy Order.
We are funded by fees paid by the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies that register with us.
We have a governing council made up of seven pharmacy professionals and seven members of the public. Follow this link to find out more about our governing council.
What we do
Our role is to protect the public and give them assurance that they will receive safe and effective care when using pharmacy services.
We set standards for pharmacy professionals and pharmacies to enter and remain on our register.
We seek assurance that pharmacy professionals and pharmacies continue to meet our standards, including by inspecting pharmacies.
We act to protect the public and to uphold public confidence in pharmacy if there are concerns about a pharmacy professional or pharmacy on our register.
Through our work we help to promote professionalism, support continuous improvement and assure the quality and safety of pharmacy.
Our main work includes:
- setting standards for the education and training of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff, and approving and accrediting their qualifications and training
- maintaining a register of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies
- setting the standards that pharmacy professionals have to meet throughout their careers
- investigating concerns that pharmacy professionals are not meeting our standards , and taking action to restrict their ability to practise when this is necessary to protect patients and the public or to uphold public confidence in pharmacy
- setting standards for registered pharmacies which require them to provide a safe and effective service to patients
- inspecting registered pharmacies to check if they are meeting our standards