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The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is among nine UK health and social care regulators who have signed up to the NHS Race and Health Observatory’s nine anti-racism principles in efforts to address racism in health and social care workplaces.
In a statement published on 13 May 2026, the NHS Race and Health Observatory said that the nine bodies, which include the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are “committed to ensuring improved collective accountability to tackle inequalities”.
The NHS Race and Health Observatory is an independent body hosted by the NHS Alliance and supported by NHS England, aimed to provide evidence-based recommendations and practical solutions for the inequalities affecting ethnic minority patients, communities and the healthcare workforce.
A spokesperson for the GPhC told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “We have signed up to these principles as part of our commitment to tackling discrimination and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion as set out in our strategy.”
Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “This announcement marks a key landmark step towards regulating for workforce race equality across our healthcare system.
“True equality requires more than words; it requires intentional action. By strengthening their collective commitment to race equality, healthcare regulatory bodies are actively dismantling barriers and ensuring that our healthcare system is a place where talent thrives regardless of background.”
The commitments include naming racism, valuing lived experience and influencing progress together, as well as transparency and accountability. The principles build on the NHS Race and Health Observatory’s seven principles of anti-racism, published in 2024, and commitments made following a regulatory roundtable held in 2025, it said.
Tase Oputu, president of the Royal College of Pharmacy, commented: “The Royal College of Pharmacy welcomes the GPhC joining other regulators in committing to these shared anti-racism principles.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in pharmacy or healthcare. We know from workforce evidence and the experiences of our members that racism can affect wellbeing, inclusion, career progression and professional confidence.
“It is imperative that pharmacy workplaces foster cultures of psychological safety, where individuals feel able to speak up, raise concerns and challenge discrimination without fear of reprisal.”
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