Pharmacy law, fitness to practise and how to stay out of trouble

I have never met a pharmacist or pharmacy technician that does not dread the letter of complaint from the GPhC dropping through the letterbox.

Unfortunately in the context of overall rising numbers of complaints being made by fellow health professionals and also by the general public, I felt it important to touch base with our colleagues at Hempsons to get their views on what you can do if you find yourself in this terrible situation.

In a very interesting chat, we covered the fitness to practise process and how to navigate it if you need to. We also discussed some of the reasons behind rising numbers of GPhC complaints and also the variation in where complaints come from between different professions. There were some key pieces of advice so hopefully, you find these useful.

Tania Francis

Tania Francis is a solicitor and partner at Hempsons. Tania advises doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals with all sorts of issues to do with registration and regulatory issues, specialist registration or specialist lists, litigation, associate disputes, CQC registration, difficulties with NHS England and more. Tania is a qualified doctor and works in a team which also includes a qualified dentist, and they, therefore, offer a unique approach to our clients’ problems. The team regularly contributes to Independent Practitioner Today and Dentistry magazine and offers training and seminars to our clients. Tania is also on the council of the Medico-Legal Society.

Thorrun Govind

Thorrun is a trainee solicitor at Hempsons. Thorrun studied Pharmacy at King’s College London, completing her pharmacy pre-registration training in community pharmacy. As a practising community pharmacist, she has been a strong advocate for healthcare and healthcare professionals across traditional and social media. Thorrun studied for her Graduate Diploma in Law, full time whilst working as a pharmacist. She subsequently studied for her Legal Practice course and MSc in Law, Business and Management, attaining a Distinction. As a qualified healthcare professional, she has first-hand experience of operating in a challenging environment whilst striving to provide excellent care to patients.

“This podcast is made available on the basis that no liability is accepted for any errors of fact or opinion it may contain. The content should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and practise in this area. Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information to particular circumstances.”