Category: Pharmacy inspections and enforcement

Prepare for GPhC inspections with guidance on compliance, enforcement actions, and maintaining high standards in pharmacy practice.

Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards

Indemnity Insurance in Pharmacy

Indemnity insurance is a fundamental requirement for pharmacy professionals and pharmacy businesses in Great Britain. It provides financial protection where claims arise from professional practice and is a key component of patient safety and regulatory compliance.

Both individual registrants and pharmacy owners must ensure that appropriate indemnity arrangements are in place at all times.

The requirement for pharmacy professionals to have indemnity arrangements is set out in the
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/231/contents
(Pharmacy Order 2010).

Controlled drugs Handling complaints and patient safety Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards Record-keeping requirements Remote and online pharmacy services Safe dispensing practices

Online Pharmacies and Remote Prescribing

The growth of online prescribing and distance-selling pharmacy services has introduced significant risks around the safe and appropriate supply of medicines. In response, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has strengthened its regulatory expectations for pharmacies operating remotely, particularly where prescribing is carried out online.

Pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists, and responsible pharmacists must ensure that any supply made through an online model meets both legal requirements and professional standards.

Registered pharmacies in Great Britain are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council under the Pharmacy Order 2010, which gives the GPhC enforcement powers over pharmacy owners, superintendent pharmacists, and pharmacy professionals.

Controlled drugs Pharmacist and technician responsibilities Pharmacy inspections and enforcement Pharmacy premises standards

Secure environments

Secure environments include prisons, police custody suites, secure hospitals, immigration removal centres, and other places where individuals are detained. These settings present unique legal and operational considerations because they sit at the intersection of healthcare law, custodial law, and medicines legislation.

UK medicines legislation (e.g. the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) does not always explicitly refer to these environments. In practice, pharmacy services must apply principles from primary care or secondary care, depending on the context, while remaining within the relevant legal framework.

Where medicines are dispensed from an in-house prison pharmacy for administration or supply to patients within the same prison: