In late 2025, the Pharmacy Council released a discussion document to help us inform our thinking and prioritise our work. The document set out options for change, identified the implications and some of the pros and cons of each option, and described some possible next steps. We asked for feedback from people and organisations in the pharmacy sector.

Thank you for to everyone who made a submission. We appreciate the time and effort that went into the submission and have considered all the responses. 

Results 

A full report is available (Public summary of feedback) but, at a high level, the responses for: 

• Topic 1: Statement on innovative practice showed general support for the statement, with a clear requirement for operational guidelines.
• Topic 2: Registration pathways showed broad agreement that workforce shortages are primarily due to poor retention, low pay, and burnout, not regulatory barriers, and that easing pathways won’t fix the core problem. 
• Topic 3: Scope endorsements showed deeply divided responses about introducing expanded roles via scope endorsements. There was agreement that the problem must be clearly defined before any further work is done in this area.
• Topic 4: Prescribing showed strong support for expanding pharmacist prescribing, if done safely and supported by robust training, governance, and information access. Funding was repeatedly identified as a major barrier to uptake.
• Topic 5: Regulating technicians and PACTs showed strong support in principle for regulation, however concerns about cost, workforce impact, and administrative burden are widespread. It was generally not seen as a high priority.

Other comments: 

• Respondents expressed broad support for the Council’s intent to advance regulation to keep pace with evolving pharmacy practice and enable pharmacists to work to their full scope.  

• Some also noted their appreciation for the Council’s work, tone, and direction, and saw the proposals as timely and positive.  

• Several submitters stressed the interdependence of the five topics, and many prioritised registration pathways and prescribing as having the greatest potential to ease workforce pressure. 

• A recurring theme was that regulatory reform cannot occur in isolation from funding and commissioning, workplace conditions, and health system infrastructure. 

Next steps 

As we acknowledged in the discussion document, the Pharmacy Council should be responsive to the needs of the sector, rather than a leader driving change. Our focus is on protecting the public by ensuring pharmacists are competent and fit to practice. We do this by making sure that the regulatory tools we use are fair and proportionate and working closely with other organisations in the sector. Find out about our next steps here.

Professional expertise and advocacy must come from the professional organisations, and we encourage all pharmacists to join an organisation that best reflects their views and values. A coherent voice and strong vision from the sector will ensure that funders, policy makers, and the public have a clear understanding of the value that pharmacists bring to the health sector.  

We acknowledge the work the Pharmacy Sector Leader’s Forum is doing in this space and look forward to seeing the results. A clear vision helps us as regulator to know where to put the guardrails for safe practice, ensuring that the profession is effectively regulated while still able to grow and flourish. 

Many of the submissions gave us information to build into our future work programme, but there was also a lot of useful material that falls outside the Pharmacy Council’s remit. We have gathered this information to share with the sector (Other comments and information). 

The submission period has now closed, but you can still read the discussion document and watch the webinar to find out more.

As the regulator, the Pharmacy Council needs to make sure we are set up for the changes needed to meet the challenges facing the sector.

To help with this, we’ve put together a discussion document with options on some key topics, and we’d like to hear from you on what’s important.  

The document sets out some options for change, identifies the implications and some of the pros and cons of each option, and describes some possible next steps. 

It’s important to note that this is not a formal consultation document – at this stage we are still exploring possible options and are not tied to a particular approach. Any initiatives identified will need further engagement and/or consultation. 

We are keen to hear your thoughts on the topics we’ve identified to help us inform our thinking and prioritise our work – what will make the greatest impact, what should we focus on first, and how can other organisations get involved. 

Email [email protected] with any feedback or questions.

Webinars

We would like to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts and feedback directly with us. 

Unfortunately, the time and cost of travel prevent us from holding face to face meetings, so instead we have set up a series of webinars.

Overview webinar

You can watch the presentation here and the transcript is available here.

In this webinar, we will give an overview of our role and the topics covered in the discussion document. There will be an opportunity to submit questions beforehand, and a quick Q&A section during the session.

• Thursday 29 Jan 11:00 – 12:00 
• Thursday 5 Feb 14:00 – 15:00 
• Wednesday 11 Feb 19:00 – 20:00 
• Friday 20 Feb 12:00 – 13:00

Note: The same information will be presented in each of these, so you only need to attend once.

Webinars for each topic

These separate webinars will cover each topic in more depth and have more opportunity for discussion and feedback in the session itself.

Expanded roles via scope endorsements

• Tuesday 10 Feb 19:00 – 20:00 

Prescribing

• Thursday 12 Feb 19:00 – 20:00 
• Friday 13 Feb 12:00 – 13:00

Regulating techs and PACTs

• Monday 16 Feb 19:00 – 20:00

Registration pathways

• Wednesday 18 Feb 19:00 – 20:00
• Thursday 19 Feb 14:30 – 15:30

Online session for any final questions

This drop-in session will give you the opportunity to ask any final questions or provide feedback directly to us.

• Monday 23 Feb 10:00 – 11:00 

If you have any trouble registering or have any questions about the webinars, please email [email protected].

Q&As

Have you already made decisions about what you’re going to do?

Absolutely not. At this stage we are still exploring possible options and are not tied to a particular approach.

That’s why it’s important to note that this is not a formal consultation. Any initiatives identified through this work will need further engagement and/or consultation.

Why are you sending this out in December?

We know that this time of year is busy for everyone, but we wanted to share the discussion document as soon as possible to help set our focus for the coming year.

Additionally, we’re closing submissions at the end of February 2026, so we’ve given people almost three months to send in feedback.

I only have feedback on one topic.

When completing the survey, you can complete some or all the questions or just add your comments in the final section.

How can I make a submission?

The submission period ran from 3 December to 16 March.

What if I want to know more about a certain topic?

We will be holding webinars on each topic in early 2026 – we’ll let you know more details in the new year.