Wes Mountain
A possible “pharmacy performers list” could provide an extra mechanism alongside fitness-to-practise (FtP) processes in assuring healthcare professionals are competent to provide safe and effective care, the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) has told Parliament.
In written evidence submitted at the House of Commons committee stage of the government’s Health Bill, and published on the Parliament website on 9 July 2026, RCPharm said that although NHS England already had the ability to create such a list, this bill would transfer that power to the ‘secretary of state or an NHS body’.
Currently, any GP, optometrist or dentist offering primary care in an NHS setting is required to be registered on the performers list, which shows that they satisfy a range of criteria necessary for working in the NHS.
In its evidence, the royal college said: “With efforts to care for more patients closer to home and as pharmacists play an increasingly clinical role in primary care, there is an emerging debate about whether pharmaceutical services should also have a performers list.
“This could be one approach to assuring health professionals are qualified and competent to provide safe and effective care. This could also provide an additional mechanism other than a FtP referral to the regulator.
“However, further exploration of a performers list would first require meaningful engagement with the profession and stakeholders. With continued pressures on pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and across the health service, the aim of this policy must be seen as supporting health professionals to meet a standard and not simply another performance management tool.”
The FtP system is operated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which for has failed to meet a Professional Standards Authority requirement to operate its FtP function in a timely manner for several years.
In February 2026, the GPhC set out plans to introduce acceptance criteria for FtP complaints as an attempt to reduce the number of avoidable concerns it receives and progresses.
The GPhC did not wish to comment on this story.
In its evidence on the Health Bill, RCPharm also highlighted the “significant disruption to national, regional and system-level teams” caused by integrated care board (ICB) budget cuts and the abolition of NHS England.
This risked “insufficient oversight of ICB plans” around medicines optimisation, without which NHS England had already warned patient care, system performance and financial sustainability could be at “serious risk”, it added.
The College also drew attention to the government’s NHS workforce plan, which was expected in June 2026.
“Making a success of the ten-year health plan will depend on having sufficient capacity and skills within the workforce to deliver it — and the bill places a statutory duty on the secretary of state to exercise functions around education and training to meet the workforce needs of the health service,” its evidence said.
RCPharm’s response also noted: “While we welcomed the government’s constructive engagement with stakeholders on the workforce plan in 2025, it is yet to be published. It remains unclear whether the plan will support and unlock the potential of pharmacists, pharmacy teams and the wider health professions to maximise their role in patient care.”
It also reiterated calls for pharmacy students to be eligible for all aspects of the NHS Learning Support Fund.
