You will be eligible to apply for registration once you have completed the following:

1. Pre-registration training, i.e. you have a 52 week declaration signed by your tutor AND
2. Passed the registration assessment

How do I register?

You will need to complete the following documentation:

• An application form that includes the photo form
• Provide evidence of identity
• Provide evidence of your date of birth

Application Forms & Guidance  

Once you have reached 49 weeks of training you may submit the registration application form. The guidance notes describe what other documentation (such as evidence of identity and date of birth) that you need to provide and how to certify this:

2013 Registration Guidance and Application Form

Due to Crown Copyright, from the 5 February 2013 the GPhC will not be able accept certified copies of Birth Certificates from anyone born in the UK.  This also applies to certified copies of marriage certificates. 

You will now need to provide, with your application, a duplicate birth certificate issued by General Register Office as proof of your date of birth, or a duplicate marriage certificate issued by General Register Office if required. This document will not be returned to you and will be held on record by the GPhC. 

We strongly advise that you do not provide your original birth certificate / marriage certificate, but instead apply for a duplicate of the document(s) as it will not be returned to you. 

Therefore, you are advised to apply for a duplicate to supply with your application.  If you were born in England or Wales you should contact the General Registers Office (or General Registers Office for Scotland if you were born in Scotland), so that you can apply for a duplicate directly from them. 

If you were born in the UK you should no longer be able to obtain a certificated copy of your Birth Certificate and these would not be accepted by the GPhC. If you do supply a certified copy, it will delay your registration while you obtain an original General Register Office Birth Certificate as proof of your date of birth. The same will also apply for marriage certificates. 

If you were born outside the UK you should still provide a certified copy as outlined in the registration guidance notes.

Application Deadlines:

If you pass the June 2013 assessment, the earliest date you could join the Register is 1 August 2013. To do this you must ensure that your application and documents have been received by 8 July 2013. If your application comes in after this date you will not be registered on 1 August 2013.

All applications must be submitted, in full and with all required documents, at least three weeks prior to your intended registration date. The GPhC’s register is updated twice a month (on the first and 15th). If your application is incorrect, incomplete or does not have the required documentation then your application will be delayed until the correct documentation is received and processed.

You cannot register until you have completed your training. Your official training end date was provided to you by the GPhC on your training record. For instance, if you apply to register before 8th July but do not finish training until 2 August, you cannot register until the 15 August.

To be eligible to join the GPhC register, a trainee must pass the assessment, as well as meeting all other registration criteria. You are not registered until you appear on the Register of pharmacists. If you do not appear on the Register you cannot call yourself a pharmacist or work as one.

Statutory declaration

If you need to complete a statutory declaration for whatever reason then please download this and follow the instructions given in the GPhC registration guidance 2013:

Statutory Declaration Form

Where do I send my application?

You are advised to send your application by a traceable method. If you want confirmation that your form and documentation have been received then you should include a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope which will be date-stamped and posted back to you. 

Please send your completed application and payment form to:

Pre-Registration – Applications to Register 2013

Customer Services Team

General Pharmaceutical Council

129 Lambeth Road

London

SE1 7BT

Please note that we are not able to confirm receipt of your paperwork over the telephone or by e-mail.

Fitness to Practise

When you apply to register with us, we will ask you questions about your fitness to practise. We will ask you about your character, including any convictions or cautions you may have had, your health, and if you have been registered with other regulatory bodies. This information is used by us to assess whether you are fit to practise as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. The following information explains about our Good Character and Health Assessment procedures.

Good Character

We define good character as the absence of evidence that a person has committed (and/or has any disposition towards) conduct or behaviour that is inconsistent with the Standards of Conduct published by the GPhC, or the exercise of the pharmacy profession.

To assess good character, we use a Good Character Assessment Framework. A copy of the framework can be found below.

When we assess good character we look at evidence, which may include:

• Criminal convictions
• Cautions, conditional discharges, admonishments or reports to a procurator fiscal
• Findings against you by a health or social care regulator either in this country or overseas
• Allegations, complaints or information about you which have been brought to our attention
• Testimonials and character references, especially those from your tutor or countersigning pharmacist.

We may ask for further information from you, or make further inquiries about the evidence.

When we assess the evidence of conduct or behaviour we consider:

• How serious it is
• How relevant it is to the practise of pharmacy
• How relevant it is to the honour and integrity of the profession of pharmacy
• How recently the incident or incidents took place
• Your age at the time
• If you have made any effort after the incident to rehabilitate yourself
• Your insight into your past behaviour
• Testimonials and character references about your behaviour and conduct
• If such behaviour is typical of you, or indicates that you may behave like that in future
• If you told us about the incident or incidents when you applied to join our Register
• If you co-operated with us when we requested further information.

We consider the following conduct or behaviour to be serious:

• If your conduct involved dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation
• If your conduct indicated drug or alcohol dependency
• If your conduct or behaviour resulted in a criminal conviction or a finding of misconduct or non-fitness to practise by any health or social care regulator
• If your conduct or behaviour involved violence or exhibited intentional or deliberate disregard of human life
• If your conduct or behaviour involved non consensual sexual acts
• If your conduct or behaviour involved sexual acts with children
• If your conduct or behaviour involved trafficking in, or illegally manufacturing, any controlled drug
• If your conduct or behaviour posed a threat to public health, safety or welfare
• If your conduct or behaviour involved discrimination, for instance on the grounds of race, colour, religion or sex
• If your conduct or behaviour involved or indicated a blatant disregard for the law or the system of registration.

Good Character Assessment Framework Template

Health

We define good health as the absence of evidence that a person has a physical or mental condition(s) that may impair their fitness to practise as a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician, or may lead to behaviour inconsistent with the standards of conduct published by the GPhC, or the exercise of the pharmacy profession.

To assess your health we use a Health Assessment Framework. A copy of the framework can be found below.

When we assess your health we look for evidence, which may include:

• Information provided by you
• A letter or letters from your medical practitioner or consultant
• Testimonials describing your fitness to practise in relation to your health, especially those from your tutor or countersigning pharmacist, and
• A health examination conducted by our medical examiners.
• We may ask for further information from you, or make further inquiries about the evidence.

When assessing your health we consider:

• The nature of your condition and how serious it is
• When your condition was diagnosed
• How you manage and control your condition
• Any reasonable adjustments which can be made to enable you to practise
• The risk to the public, colleagues, or the profession
• If you told us about your condition when you applied to join our Register
• Any supporting information about your condition and its impact on your practice.

We consider the following factors to be serious:

• If your condition constitutes adverse physical or mental health
• If you lack insight into your condition and its impact on your practice
• If your condition is not managed or controlled
• If you have not complied with treatment or assessment
• If your condition poses a risk to the public, colleagues, employers or the profession.

Health Assessment Framework Template

Something To Declare Forms

If you need to make a Fitness To Practise declaration when applying to join the Register then please download the form below, then complete this and send it together with your application.

If we decide that you are not fit to practise we will not register you. If we refuse your application, you can appeal to our Appeals Committee.

Something to Declare form

Something to Declare form - Health (please complete this form if you are declaring a health related matter)
 

If you have any questions regarding this information, please call the GPhC contact centre on 0203 365 3400 and one of our advisors will be happy to help you.