General Pharmaceutical Council
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has raised concerns about emerging patient safety risks, including the diversion of prescription medicines by pharmacy staff and unsafe overseas supply.
In a letter sent to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners on 6 August 2025, Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at the GPhC, said she wanted to “raise awareness of some emerging issues which have led to concerns being raised with us”.
Gittins said the regulator had recently investigated “some concerns” about medicines being ordered and stolen by pharmacy staff and reminded teams that they must have “appropriate arrangements” in place to manage medicines and prevent diversion, such as setting maximum daily and monthly quantities of specific medicines that can be ordered, based on the pharmacy’s usage data.
Another issue raised in the letter involved UK pharmacies supplying medicines on private prescriptions overseas, which included countries where those medicines may not be legal or where shipping conditions meant they were unsafe to use.
Gittens asked pharmacy staff to check the laws of the country they are sending medicines to, as well as ensuring appropriate transport methods for the medicines.
She also referenced a concern about an online pharmacy sending medicines to a hospital for an inpatient.
“All pharmacy owners and pharmacy teams supplying medicines at a distance need to have procedures in place, and staff suitably trained, to identify different risks associated with patient addresses,” Gittins said, adding that this should involve checking if someone is at an address where people may be receiving care or if the same address is used for multiple orders under different names.
In February 2025, the GPhC published guidance for distance-selling pharmacies, following concerns over safeguards in place at online pharmacies.
Gittins told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “Our recent communication about emerging issues is an example of action we’re taking to empower pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners to provide trusted, safe and effective pharmacy care, as set out in our new strategic plan.
“We want to highlight problematic situations to help those on the ground identify them before serious concerns arise. In addition, in this case we shared examples of good practice observed from our inspectorate to support registrants and pharmacy owners to meet our standards. We hope that those receiving this information will find it useful and help inform their everyday practice.”
Wing Tang, head of professional standards at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, commented: “Patient safety and public trust are paramount in pharmacy, and we support the GPhC’s efforts to raise awareness of the emerging issues facing the profession.
“Pharmacy teams have a duty to uphold the highest standards of practice to ensure every patient receives safe and effective care. We urge all pharmacy professionals to review the GPhC’s guidance carefully and discuss with team members how these issues can be avoided in their own setting.”
