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The number of Fitness to Practise (FtP) concerns raised rose by around one-third in 2025–2026 compared with the year before, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has said, noting a “sharp increase” in AI-generated complaints.
The regulator’s latest annual report, published on 17 September 2026, said that 9,928 concerns were received via the triage team or the customer service team, compared with 7,378 concerns the year before.
Half of these (5,004) came from members of the public, while 13% (1,274) came from another healthcare professional. A small number (137) were self-declarations and 101 concerns were from police and other enforcement organisations.
Almost all (95%) of the 7,653 concerns that reached triage were closed following an initial assessment, “either because it is not within our powers to deal with them, or because we do not consider that they are serious enough to call into question someone’s fitness to practise”, the GPhC said.
Of the 81 concerns that reached an FtP committee, 22 led to removal from the register and 36 led to suspension from the resister.
Dionne Spence, chief enforcement officer at the GPhC, told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 18 September 2026: “The significant increase in concerns is being seen by regulators across the board, and we are working across our sectors to understand any themes or factors that may explain this.
“We are also experiencing a sharp increase in lengthy AI-generated complaints and are considering how to ensure we can remain efficient and focused on patient safety.”
However, she said: “It remains the case that vast majority of concerns are resolved or signposted appropriately at the very beginning of the process.”
Spence said the regulator would “shortly be testing the feasibility of an independent pharmacy complaints resolution service”.
“Unlike many other health and care sectors, pharmacy currently has no alternative route for consumer concerns that do not require regulatory action. We believe addressing that gap could improve the experience of patients and members of the public, while allowing us to focus more effectively on concerns that raise significant public protection issues.”
She added: “By improving understanding of when we need to be involved and when we don’t, we expect to reduce avoidable concerns, respond more proportionally and focus our regulatory effort where it makes the greatest difference to patient safety and public trust.”
In February 2026, the GPhC published acceptance criteria for FtP complaints, with the aim of clarifying which FtP concerns about pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and registered pharmacies will be taken forward for investigation.
In the annual report, it said that this is about “providing clearer guidance on the types of concerns we can consider and how they are assessed, with the aim of reducing the number of avoidable concerns received”.
A spokesperson for the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) said that the increase in FtP concerns over the past year “reflects a number of factors, including growing pressures across pharmacy practice, increased public awareness of regulatory routes, and the increasing complexity of professional roles and service delivery”.
The spokesperson added: “Our experience is that many concerns arise in highly pressured workplace environments, where issues connected to staffing levels, workload, systems and governance can sometimes be mistaken for individual professional failings.
“It is significant that the overwhelming majority of concerns are closed at the initial assessment stage,” they continued, adding: “This suggests there remains some uncertainty among employers, colleagues, patients and the public about the threshold for regulatory action, and about which issues are best resolved locally rather than through a fitness to practise process.
“From the PDA’s perspective, avoidable fitness to practise concerns can have a profound impact on the wellbeing, confidence and careers of pharmacists, even when no action is ultimately taken. It is therefore important that concerns are raised appropriately, proportionately and through the correct channels.
“We welcome efforts by the GPhC to provide clearer guidance and acceptance criteria on the types of concerns that should be referred to the regulator. Greater clarity should help ensure that genuinely serious concerns are identified and investigated, while reducing unnecessary referrals that create anxiety for registrants and place demands on regulatory resources. The effectiveness of those changes will, however, need to be monitored over time to determine whether they improve understanding and reduce avoidable referrals and reduce avoidable referrals.”
Tase Oputu, president of the Royal College of Pharmacy, said: “A clear and proportionate fitness-to-practise process is essential to maintaining patient safety and public confidence in pharmacy. What matters is that concerns are assessed appropriately, with those requiring further regulatory action identified and those outside the GPhC’s remit directed to the appropriate route.
“It is also important that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have access to appropriate support when a concern is raised about them or they are subject to fitness-to-practise proceedings, recognising the significant impact this can have on individuals.”
The GPhC’s annual report revealed that its council received 66 whistleblowing disclosures between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Regulatory action was taken in 49 of these cases, it said, and 47 cases were concluded by sharing information with inspection colleagues for follow-up action. Five were closed with no action taken.
