The PDA has submitted a detailed response opposing the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) proposals to radically shorten the route to registration for internationally qualified pharmacists seeking to practise in Great Britain.
The PDA has raised serious concerns about the lack of evidence supporting the changes, the potential impact on patient safety, and the consequences for pharmacy education and training capacity across the UK.
The GPhC is proposing to replace the current two-year Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (OSPAP) route, which consists of a one-year postgraduate diploma followed by a full foundation training year, with a new integrated programme that could allow some pharmacists to register after a significantly shorter period of education and practice-based learning.
Lack of transparency and evidence
A central concern for the PDA is that the GPhC has not clearly explained why these changes are being proposed or published a comprehensive impact assessment setting out their potential consequences.
The PDA argues that stakeholders have been asked to comment on substantial reforms without being provided with sufficient information about the rationale behind them, the workforce assumptions that underpin them, or the risks that have been identified and mitigated.
Commenting on the consultation, the PDA said:
“Meaningful consultation requires stakeholders to understand not only what is being proposed, but why. The GPhC has not published the evidence base, impact assessment or workforce analysis necessary for respondents to properly assess proposals of this significance.”
Concerns over readiness for practice
The PDA believes that reducing a pathway currently lasting at least two years to a single year could undermine the preparedness of overseas-qualified pharmacists entering practice in Great Britain.
The existing OSPAP route provides time for pharmacists trained in different healthcare systems to develop an understanding of UK pharmacy practice, workplace culture, NHS systems, professional standards, patient expectations and clinical decision-making. The PDA warns that compressing this process risks reducing opportunities for incremental development and supervised learning.
The proposed changes would also embed independent prescribing training into the shortened programme, increasing the intensity of an already demanding educational pathway.
The PDA notes that pharmacists arriving from countries with very different healthcare environments may require time to adapt to British professional practice, language nuances, multidisciplinary working and the cultural context of patient care.
Impact on foundation training and MPharm students
The PDA’s response places the proposals within the wider context of unprecedented expansion across pharmacy education.
Over recent years there has been significant growth in OSPAP student numbers, expanding MPharm intake capacity at existing schools and the establishment of several new schools of pharmacy. The PDA estimates that these developments could ultimately result in around 1,000 additional pharmacy students requiring training placements each year.
Against that backdrop, the PDA questions whether the GPhC’s proposals are partly driven by capacity pressures within the foundation training system.
Removing OSPAP students from the current foundation training process would reduce demand for placements and supervision opportunities at a time when increasing numbers of MPharm graduates will also be seeking training posts. The PDA believes the regulator should be transparent about whether placement capacity considerations have influenced the proposals.
Shortage of placements and clinical supervisors
The PDA also highlights significant concerns about the practical delivery of the new model.
The proposed framework places substantial emphasis on learning in practice, prescribing experience and supervision by designated supervisors and designated prescribing practitioners. However, the PDA questions whether sufficient placement opportunities and suitably qualified supervisors exist to support the growing number of students entering pharmacy education.
The association’s analysis of accreditation reports suggests that staffing levels have not always increased in line with rising student numbers and expanding placement requirements. The PDA argues that internationally qualified pharmacists, in particular, require access to experienced tutors and supervisors who can provide meaningful support throughout the transition into UK practice.
Patient safety must remain paramount
The PDA is especially concerned that the proposed standards remove a standalone section dedicated to patient and public safety that appeared in the previous OSPAP standards. The association argues that the GPhC has not adequately explained how the revised framework will provide equivalent or stronger safeguards.
The PDA believes the regulator must demonstrate how a shorter and potentially more flexible route to registration will continue to assure patient safety while supporting pharmacists to develop the competence, confidence and professional judgement expected of newly registered practitioners.
PDA calls for reconsideration
Rather than replacing the existing two-year model, the PDA is calling on the GPhC to retain the current structure of an OSPAP programme followed by a full foundation training year, while exploring ways to recognise previous experience within that established framework.
The PDA concludes that any reform must be based on robust evidence and should ensure that internationally qualified pharmacists receive education, training and support equivalent to that provided to pharmacists trained through accredited UK routes. Until that evidence is made available, the PDA does not believe the case for shortening the OSPAP pathway has been made.
READ THE PDA’S full RESPONSE HERE
Supporting documents
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