2007 Annual Conference “ Changes to healthcare regulation in the UK” Janet Flint, Head of Support Staff Regulation, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great

2007 Annual Conference

“Changes to healthcare regulation in the UK”

Janet Flint, Head of Support Staff Regulation, Royal Pharmaceutical

Society of Great Britain

2007 Annual Conference

“Trust Assurance and Safety: The Regulation of Healthcare

Professionals in the 21st Century”

Council on Licensure, Enforcement and RegulationAtlanta, Georgia2007 Annual Conference

Governance and accountability of

regulators• Healthcare regulation councils - no majority for professionals

• Both lay and professional members to be appointed

• Greater accountability to parliament

• Councils to become smaller and more board-like


Governance and accountability of

regulators• For the Royal Pharmaceutical Society,

separation of regulatory from professional leadership functions through the formation of a General Pharmaceutical Council

• and a body akin to a Royal College to support clinical excellence


Revalidation

“Revalidation is necessary for all health professionals, but its intensity and frequency needs to be proportionate to the risks inherent in the work in which each practitioner is involved.”


Tackling concerns

“For doctors, a network of GMC affiliates at regional level in England and national level in other parts of the UK to provide support, advice and guidance to employers in managing concerns and quality assurance of the re-validation process.


Tackling concerns

•For all professions, panels adjudicating fitness to practise cases should use the civil standard of proof rather than the criminal standard.

•For doctors, legislative agreement to be sought to establish an independent body to adjudicate on fitness to practise cases.


Tackling concerns

• CHRE to have enhanced powers to scrutinise regulators’ handling of fitness to practise cases and to develop common protocols for investigation across the regulators with guidance to employers on when a case should be referred to a national regulator


Education

• Non-medical professional regulatory bodies to continue to be responsible for the educational standards of the professions that they regulate

•Three board model proposed for medical education within the GMC


Information about health professionals

• CHRE to recommend a single standard definition of good character

•Regulators to consider whether students and trainees should have a close relationship with their future regulators prior to qualification


Emerging professions

• Statutory regulation is planned for applied psychologists, several groups of healthcare scientists, psychotherapists and counsellors and other psychological therapists

•Emerging and existing unregulated professions to be managed by the existing statutory regulatory bodies and the GPharmC.


Implications for Pharmacy

•Carter working party


Carter Working Party Proposals

•GPhC and “Royal College” fully functional by Jan 2010

•GPhC will have statutory responsibility for education & training

•“Royal College” involved in development of professional & educational standards, pre-reg training, curricula, revalidation

•“Royal College” should create Academies of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences

•Establishment of a Pharmacy Regulation & Leadership Oversight Group by the DoH


What does it mean for the RPSGB?

• Most functions in regulation will move to GPhC, continuing the good work the Society is doing

• The professional body will have professional membership and will be created to meet the needs of members


Reaction from the RPSGB

• Welcomed the publication of the Carter report• New arrangements must bring improved patient

safety and stronger professional leadership for pharmacists

• Move to a GPhC and a professional leadership body must be properly managed and resourced - both the transition and in the long term

• Full consultation required


Government’s proposed timetable

• White Paper working parties, and pharmacy oversight group, to start work in July

• Primary legislation on statute book – 2008

• Secondary legislation to follow over the next 2-3 years

• Full changes expected in place: 3-5 years


Contact Information

Janet Flint, Head of Support Staff RegulationRoyal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

1 Lambeth High Street, London, SE1 7JNTel: +44 (0)20 7572 2410

e-mail: [email protected]

Documents

2007 Annual Conference “ Changes to healthcare regulation in the UK” Janet Flint, Head of Support Staff Regulation, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great