General Pharmaceutical Council

15/10/2026

A reminder for pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists:

When a pharmacy changes ownership, the new owner must notify the GPhC within 28 days. The form must be submitted after completion, signed by both previous and new owners, and the fee paid.

Missing the deadline means the pharmacy will be removed from the register, requiring closure and restoration.

If the new owner organisation doesn’t already own pharmacies, a superintendent pharmacist must also be nominated.

Full guidance and form: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/pharmacies/registration-and-renewal/managing-pharmacys-registration/change-ownership

14/10/2026

The National Data Guardian is seeking views from clinicians and health and care professionals on the development of a Single Patient Record.

This is an opportunity to share your experiences and insights on how health information is accessed, shared and used across services, helping to inform work to improve patient care and support professionals across the health and care system.

Complete the survey here >> https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Za7WTbfeJoBLdc

Please share with colleagues who may be interested.

Anonymous survey about the proposed national Single Patient Record.

12/10/2026

Our Chief Executive, Kathie Cashell, was delighted to speak at the Pharmacy Show today, about how the GPhC is supporting changes across pharmacy, and in the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, while ensuring patients continue to receive safe, effective and person-centred care.

12/10/2026

If you are due to renew your registration by 31 October, we recommend completing your renewal as early as possible.

We have also published resources to support you in completing revalidation, including updated FAQs, good practice examples and our statement on the use of AI in revalidation.

Find out more about renewal and revalidation >> https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/pharmacists/revalidation-renewal/revalidation-resources

10/10/2026

Using fake online pharmacies puts you at risk of serious harm.

More people than ever are buying medicines online, but fake online pharmacies can dispense medicines that are inappropriate, ineffectively dosed, or even counterfeit. These counterfeit medicines could include seriously dangerous substances such as cement and even arsenic.

This is why it's vitally important to make sure that any pharmacy you use is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

✅ How to check an online pharmacy:

1. Find the pharmacy's GPhC registration number on its website.
2. Search for the pharmacy on the official GPhC register.
3. If the pharmacy is not listed, do not use it.

Taking one moment to check a pharmacy's registration could save your life.

Find out more about the dangers of fake online pharmacies >> https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/how-check-online-pharmacy-register

09/10/2026

We're delighted to congratulate our Chair, Gisela Abbam, on being formally presented with her OBE by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at an Investiture at Windsor Castle.

Gisela received the honour in recognition of her services to the pharmacy professions and health. Since becoming Chair of the GPhC in 2022, she has provided dedicated leadership in support of our work to protect the public and uphold confidence in pharmacy.
Reflecting on the award, Gisela said:

"I am deeply grateful to receive this award and see it as a tribute not only to my own work, but to the dedication and commitment of colleagues across the GPhC and to everyone working in pharmacy."

Congratulations, Gisela, on this well-deserved recognition.

Read our news item celebrating this award: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/about-us/news-and-updates/gphc-chair-receives-obe-his-royal-highness-prince-wales

09/10/2026

In our latest edition of Regulate, Amanda Da Costa, Clinical Supervisor and Volunteer Pharmacist at the Breastfeeding Network’s Drugs in Breastmilk (DiBM) service, and Siobhan McGuinness, our Director of Scotland and a volunteer pharmacist for the service outline how to better support informed decisions about medicines and breastfeeding.

Read the article >> https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/about-us/news-and-updates/regulate/supporting-safe-medicines-use-breastfeeding

08/10/2026

Alongside partners from across healthcare, the General Pharmaceutical Council has signed an open letter calling on NICE to review its guideline relating to propranolol. It follows ongoing patient safety concerns, including multiple fatal overdoses highlighted through Prevention of Future Deaths reports.

We are asking NICE to make it clear that propranolol should not be used for the management of anxiety disorders and to consider whether additional safety advice is needed to support clinicians and help prevent avoidable harm.

Read more about the open letter and the reasons behind the call for a review: https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/about-us/news-and-updates/open-letter-calls-nice-review-guideline-response-propranolol-concerns

08/10/2026

Our colleagues at the University of Manchester are undertaking a study exploring pharmacists’ experiences and awareness of burn injuries affecting children. This study aims to better understand the current experiences, confidence levels, and perceived educational needs of community pharmacists in the assessment and management of burn injuries in children.

If you are interested in taking part in this study, please take a moment to complete their anonymised survey. It should take no longer than 10 minutes.

The survey is open until the end of December

Find out more and fill out the survey >>

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