The GPhC consulted between 24 April 2017 and 17 July 2017 on proposals to change the existing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for pharmacists. It is calling the new framework “revalidation”.
The GPhC proposed that the current requirement for 9 CPD records to be completed each year will be reduced to 4 simplified CPD records (two of which must cover planned learning activities), plus a reflective account and a peer discussion.
Amongst other things, we said that the proposed revalidation framework and processes should be renamed to “continuing professional development” (CPD). The framework and process do not constitute revalidation or an assessment of fitness to practise; they do not include any formal appraisal, by a senior pharmacist, of a registrant’s practise, will not detect impaired performance at an early stage and are otherwise not sufficiently rigorous. They do not meet the definitions of revalidation given by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence, the Professional Standards Authority or the Department of Health and are different in principle to the legal definition in the Medical Act 1983 (though the Act itself does not apply to pharmacists).
The full consultation response can be accessed below.
THE CONSULTATION DOCUMENT CAN BE READ HERE
