The regulation of the healthcare professions is designed to protect the health, safety and well-being of people using their services.

Our standards and rules provide a practicable, workable framework for pharmacy professionals to deliver services safely. They are intended to be proportionate and useful, helping practitioners to improve quality.

Regulation can:

• Allow pharmacy practice to develop while protecting the safety of the patients and the public
• Enhance the confidence of the public and patients by sending out a clear message that patient safety is paramount
• Ensure that registered professionals are fit to safely deliver a wide range of services to the public
• Provide a framework for continuing professional development and, in due course, revalidation
• Provide a framework for setting standards for advanced levels of practice

Our approach to regulation is not to create unnecessary burdens, but be proportionate to the risk it addresses and the benefit it brings. It should support and enable the working lives of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and open up pathways to a satisfying career, rather than being seen purely as a means of discipline.