General Pharmaceutical Council
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is now receiving around 9,500 fitness-to-practise (FtP) concerns in a year, Kathie Cashell, chief executive and registrar of the regulator, has revealed.
Speaking at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress 2026, held in London on 8 May 2026, Cashell committed to improving the timeliness of FtP investigations, after concerns about the regulator were escalated to government in September 2025.
“I can’t mention FtP without acknowledging that our FtP cases have been taking too long,” she told delegates.
Cashell added that the GPhC had “an ambitious improvement plan underway”, which includes the aim of increasing its hearings capacity by over 50%.
“We are seeing improvements in our performance and have been clearing out some of the oldest concerns in our caseload,” she said.
Cashell continued: “We’ve only just started that work… this will remain a key priority for us.
“[Annually], we’re now getting around 9,500 concerns coming through the door.”
This figure is up from 2025, when the GPhC said it received around 7,500 concerns in a year, which had been the highest number in its history.
The GPhC has previously said it needs to reduce the number of concerns it receives. In February 2026, it published acceptance criteria for FtP complaints.
In addition, Cashell noted that only around 6% of concerns lead to a full investigation, of which only a very small number progress to FtP hearings, while just four professionals were removed from the register in the most recent quarter, all relating to serious criminal matters.
While complaints disproportionally affected registrants with protected characteristics, FtP outcomes did not, she added.
Cashell continued: “I’m really reassured by those results… fairness and compassion is hugely important for us to be trusted.”
At the event, Mark Koziol, chair of the Pharmacists’ Defence Association, raised the issue of regulating pharmacy employer organisations.
Cashall noted that there was a “crowded landscape” where commercial interests and the actions of regulated healthcare professionals both get into play.
She also suggested that the GPhC needed to “stay in our lane” but also “not shy away from where other things might be influencing” the ability of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet regulatory standards.
Cashell revealed that the GPhC’s “targeted, risk-based” approach to inspections had led to an increase in inspection activity of over 60%, with more than 2,000 inspections delivered in 2025/2026, and inspectors freed up to deliver more than 600 instances of guidance and support.
The GPhC had already delivered more than £700,000 in savings, almost half of its £1.5m target over the next two to three years, she added.
