The GPhC investigates complaints that indicate that a pharmacy professional's fitness to practise may be impaired.

You can raise a concern by completing our online complaints form:

Raising a concern form [PDF 121 KB]

Completed forms can be returned to us by email or by post.

If you would like to make a complaint over the phone, please contact us on 020 3365 3603 and a member of our team will assist you in making your complaint.

What information should I include in my complaint?

If possible, you should include the following information in your complaint:

• Your full name, address and contact details. This will allow us to contact you to find out more information about your complaint.
• As much information about the pharmacy professional as you can provide, such as their name, their registration number and their place of work.
• As much information about the incident(s) as you can provide, such as the date of the incident(s), what happened, the details of any witnesses and details of any harm caused as a result of the incident.
• Information about what action you have already taken to resolve your complaint, such as who you have complained to and how they responded
• Please retain evidence such as packaging, prescriptions and receipts.

What happens next?

Initial review

In order to decide whether we need to investigate your complaint, we will review it to determine if the information you have provided suggests that a pharmacy professional’s fitness to practise may be impaired.

If we decide not to progress your complaint, we will write to you explaining why and, if possible, direct you to another organisation that may be able to assist you further.

If your complaint is a matter that we can deal with, then we will write to you to confirm that we are investigating your complaint. A case will be opened and your complaint will be investigated by an inspector or a case manager.

Investigation

Our investigation will seek to gather the information needed to form an allegation. Most allegations of impaired fitness to practise, and all allegations of fraudulent or incorrect entry, are referred to the Investigating Comittee.

Panels of the Investigating Committee work only from the paperwork we have collected about the case - they do not meet any of the people concerned or hear their evidence in person. The panel’s job is to decide whether there is a case to answer.

If a panel decides there is no case to answer, it will close the case.

In fraudulent or incorrect entry cases, if the panel decides there is a case to answer, it will refer the case for a hearing before the Fitness to Practise Committee or the Health Committee.

Hearings

The Fitness to Practise Committee or Health Committee will hear the case and decide on action to take. You will be asked to attend and give evidence before the committee. The hearing committee will determine whether or not to uphold your complaint against a pharmacy professional, and, if so, what sanctions are appropriate.

Sanctions

There are a variety of sanctions which the committee can decide to impose in the case of an upheld decision. The sanctions range from a letter of advice, to, in serious cases, removal from the register.

The committee cannot require a registrant to compensate you.