Pre-reg pharmacists should be registered provisionally without delay

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is calling on the General Pharmaceutical Council to ensure pre-registration pharmacists are registered provisionally without delay, so they are not disadvantaged in their career and can start supporting patients during the pandemic.

RPS is calling on the relevant agencies of government for the cohort of newly-registered ‘provisional pharmacists’ to be guaranteed that:

• Time spent provisionally registered will count towards their Foundation Training.
• Time spent provisionally registered will count towards the two years practice needed to become an independent prescriber.
• Pre-regs have access to a named clinical supervisor or preceptor to provide the appropriate support and structure during provisional registration.

Gail Fleming, Director of Education and Professional Development said:

“We fully support GPhC’s proposal to introduce provisional registration and postpone the assessment, enabling pre-reg pharmacists to take up employment this summer.

“However, these ‘provisional pharmacists’ can’t be left in limbo. Their role needs to be clearly defined and their registration needs to be fast-tracked so they can start picking up the reins of their career.

“Their contributions must then be acknowledged as part of their career development. Those employed during the extraordinary conditions of the current pandemic must have their efforts recognised.

“We are developing new guidance to help pre-reg pharmacists feel prepared for their new roles and extending membership without no additional cost during the pandemic.”